


conchell tumblr fics

by Rosyredlipstick



Series: fireworks [10]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types
Genre: M/M, Tumblr fics, lol tumblr is dying so
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-04
Updated: 2019-08-13
Packaged: 2019-09-06 23:06:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 22
Words: 20,599
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16842280
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rosyredlipstick/pseuds/Rosyredlipstick
Summary: all my conchell fics/posts transferred over from my tumblr





	1. "I can't believe you're doing this."

**Author's Note:**

> prompt: "Do you ever think that conner prayed to his dad like "i need to get to cali asap, to smooch a son of aphrodite, any help??" And then bam he gets to be at mitchell's side in like less than an hour"

“I can’t believe you’re doing this.”

Connor clenched his jaw, focusing on the task before him. _“You’ve_ done it.”

Travis leaned against the doorway, the screen door between the balcony and the inside of their apartment separating them. He raised an eyebrow as he stared down at his younger brother. “Katie was in the hospital for appendicitis. It was an _emergency.”_

Connor clicked his lighter once again - it was his favorite, a gold and black metal one he’d pickpocketed in Time Square - but it was running low. He’d need to acquire a new one soon.

Connor’s tongue poked out between his teeth as he concentrated. He shifted the black stones into a position to let them breathe better.

“This _is_ an emergency.”

“Really,” Travis’s voice was colored with disbelief, _“this_ is an emergency?”

Connor finally broke his focus, throwing his hands to the air. “It is, okay! It’s really important that I get there, and there’s no last-minute flights out there. This is my only option, okay?”

Travis observed him for a long moment before sighing, sliding the screen door back. He rolled his sleeves up, closing the door behind him, and peered over Connor’s shoulder.

“What are you burning?”

Connor nearly fell with relief at his brother’s help. Prayer was stronger when it was together. “Some prime cut from the butcher’s shop, I know he likes it.”

“Did you get -”

“Some _Reese’s Cups_ , yeah.”

Both boys nodded at each other, satisfied. It was a good offering.

Travis used a metal rod to poke at the charcoal, waving at his face to keep the smoke from it. The small grill they kept on their baloney was hardly used to something other than the best bits at the beginning of meals - it would hardly hold the expensive cut of meat Connor had picked up.

Travis tended to the fire as Connor began to peel the plastic back from the meat, the shiny wrappers from the chocolate. Their father, as the entire cabin knew by now, had a certain weakness for the peanut butter cups.

Travis gestured for him to toss in the offerings once the fire was decent, and Connor followed the instruction without question. He wiped his hands off, some of the chocolate already having melted to his fingertips, and grabbed Travis’s extended hand.

And they prayed.

They - Connor in particular - prayed hard, hand-in-hand, chocolate and meat blackening in front of them, filling the hopeful air with burning fragrance. 

“Really,” a new voice rang out, and Connor’s breath caught. _“This_ is an emergency?”

Their father stood in front of them, their small balcony having hardly enough room to fit them all. His arms were crossed, his eyebrow raised, and was giving him the same judgment filled eyes his older brother had turning on him.

Connor threw his hands up, Travis’s own falling from his grip, but couldn’t deny the bubble of relief building inside of him. He gave Connor an amused smirk as the younger boy declared, “It is an emergency!”

“Son,” Hermes rolled his eyes, turning to walk in the apartment. The screen gave him no resistance as he passed through it. “You called me for this?”

Connor huffed out a breath, him and Travis both following him in, actually pulling back the screen door this time. Travis - the smart one of them - remembered to cover the fire, lest burning down their apartment building.

Again.

Hermes was surveying their living space as they came in, inspecting a mold spot with a slightly interested look.

“I think this might be a new species you’ve formed here.” He remarked.

“Nah, that’s just an old PBJ.”

“Delightful.”

“Where’re George and Martha?” Travis asked, perking up. He had a certain fondness for them.

Hermes turned towards their small kitchen, peering into their fridge, opening the cabins. Nosy.

Hermes waved his question off, “Taking a spa day - apparently, the stress is getting to them.” His voice was amused as he explained this, reaching out a hand to poke at something in one of their cabinets. The old bag of bread probably. Connor was hoping to base his science fair project off of it.

Travis looked pleased. George and Martha deserved it, honestly.

Hermes finally looked to be finished looking through their apartment, only a single quick look thrown to their mother’s empty room. She would be in…Miami, right now. Or at least in the air above it.

Hermes turned back to him, “You prayed for my precise, what do you need?” Hermes asked, despite already knowing. He probably needed to them ask clearly - godly magic was tricky like that.

Connor let out a breath. “I need you to get me to California. San Francisco, to be precise. I can call an Uber once I’m there just - I need to get there.”

Hermes raised an eyebrow, “And this has to do with Aphrodite’s boy?”

Connor nodded, a bit desperately. “Mitchell. He won some kind of archery award and he was - he was just sad last time we talked that no one could make it to the ceremony for him because Sebastian’s parents are out of town, and Seb himself is sick and -” Connor cut himself off, staring at his hands. “I want to be there for him.” 

There was a beat of silence as Hermes stared at him.

“This isn’t an emergency,” Hermes told him, flipping out his phone, hundreds of notifications already flooding the screen.

Connor sighed, “It’s not in the most traditional sense,” he allowed his father, “but it’s really important. To me.”

There was a long moment of silence as Hermes was turned towards his phone. He gave Travis a desperate look, who shrugged.

Connor tried again, “Please, dad. I - I wouldn’t be asking if this was something I could do on my own.”

The silence fell over them again. Connor began to deflate.

“It’s done,” Hermes suddenly announced, attaching a black block to his phone - something like a square reader but bigger - in a quick, smooth movement. He waited a few moments before a long ticket began printing itself. He ripped the paper off, holding out to Connor.

Connor stumbled forward to take it, staring down at it. “What - what is it?”

“Your tickets,” Hermes focused back on his smartphone, sliding through a few apps. “Simply write your destination - be descriptive, we don’t need another Paris, Texas incident - on the front, black or blue pen, no pencil it confuses the magic - and light it on fire. Use one half to get there, the other half to get home.” Hermes gave him a stern look, “I expect you to be in school by Wednesday.”

“We have school on Monday and Tuesday,” Connor told him, a bit numb.

“I know,” Hermes shrugged, sliding his phone back into his pocket. “You’re young. You’re not going to miss anything life changing by missing a few days of school.”

Connor stumbled forward again, this time throwing his arms around the taller man’s shoulders. Hermes tensed, unsure for a moment, before relaxing, his hand coming up to pat his back.

Hermes had been trying, since the war. Since Luke.

It was ridiculous how grateful Connor could feel about that.

“Thanks, dad.” He muttered into his father’s suit, probably wrinkling the no doubt expensive fabric. Silk, maybe. Armani, definitely.

Hermes was nodding as Connor pulled away, his own eyes probably red. Hermes cleared his throat, still nodding, and pulled out his phone. Connor looked back, and Travis was grinning proudly.

“I have to be going,” Hermes told them, tapping out something on his phone. He gave them another look, “Don’t get into trouble you can’t get out of, you two. I can only manipulate so many police records before your mother gets suspicious.”

Travis finger-gunned at the older man, “No promises.”

“Thanks, dad.” Connor swallowed against the tightening of his throat.

He held up his hand in a quick gesture of goodbye, and that was it.

And, in one moment to the next, he was gone. There was no theatrical display of smoke or light, just a slight shifting of air as mass that was previously occupied began empty, and the air adjusted accordingly so.

Travis clasped his hand over his shoulder, “Gonna surprise him?”

Connor was already nodding - they both had a probably worrying love for surprises. Travis accepted this, grinning, and headed towards the kitchen. Outside, the fire had burnt out the moment Hermes had disappeared.

“Oh, sweet.” Travis grinned, bending down to look closer inside their fridge. “Dad got us groceries.”

“Hot Cheetos?” Connor asked hopefully, staring down at the ticket in his hands.

“Like, five bags. Oh, and my favorite Pringles. Nice.”

“Nice,” He agreed, holding the ticket to his chest for another moment.

Looks like he had to pack.

* * *

Hermes does the exact thing my mother does when she visits my brother and I - meaning, opening every single cabinet, looking in the fridge, opening all the drawers. Idk mom. Idk. also i live with a gross adult boy. he’s disgusting and the moldy bag of bread is a nightmare i have weekly. 

Also I just really want Hermes to be a good dad ok. ok. let me have this. 

Mitchell cried when he saw his boyfriend in the front row, nearly taking the whole thing up with the filled chairs of gifts besides him. it was cute as hell. 


	2. "I don't want to get up -- you're too comfy."

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> dialogue prompt: "I don't want to get up -- you're too comfy."

“Our siblings will be up soon.” 

There was a groan beside him, and Mitchell had the stifle the amused grin that wanted to emerge at the sound. He reached out instead, sprawling his fingers across the other’s boys bare back, and pushed his fingers into the tense muscles there. Connor loved when he did that, loved the half massages Mitchell would give him before bed (and…..other events) whenever he was tense or stressed.

Mitchell loved it too, being able to press down his fingers into the other boy’s tan, slightly freckled, skin whenever he wanted. 

Connor groaned out again, shifting in his place on his stomach. He was a messy sleeper - his limbs everywhere, usually around Mitchell, with frizzy curls and drooling lips. Hell, the boy even talked in his sleep, half-words and nonsense sentences Mitchell could never figure out. He reached out, pulling down Mitchell’s shoulder, only managing to mutter out a few sleepy words. 

“I don’t want to get up — you’re too comfy.”

Mitchell smiled, amused despite their inevitable lateness that usually came with the other boy. “We have to get up, darling. Travis put you on morning duty, remember? And Piper’ll let my siblings sleep in till noon if I let her.” 

“Piper’s got the right idea.” Connor only muttered into his pillow, pushing his face deeper into the soft fabric. His hand was still insistent on its presence on Mitchell’s shoulder, pulling him closer to Connor’s chest. 

Mitchell allowed himself to be pulled into the warmth for another minute, his eyes fluttering closed with a certain bubble of content in his chest. These mornings, slow and sweet and warm, were his favorite. 

“Let’s stay here forever,” Connor muttered, his lips pressing to the back of Mitchell’s neck. “I can blackmail Travis into delivering us pizza and take-out, we could survive here forever.”   
Mitchell hummed, “Let me know when you’ve set that up. I look forward to it.” 

He could feel, more than see, the crack of a smile Connor answered with, his lips still pressed to Mitchell’s skin with the haze of a slow morning protecting them both. 

Mitchell enjoyed the feeling for a single beat longer before pulling away, swatting lightly at Connor’s grabby hands that attempted to dance over his skin. He snorted, probably unattractively, and balanced on the edge of the bed.

“C’mon.” Mitchell grinned at the shriek of surprise Connor let out as he pulled the blanket off. “If you get up now, we’ll have time to shower. Now hurry up."

Connor paused mid-shriek, giving Mitchell an interested look. “Shower?” He grinned, “Together?” 

Mitchell rolled off the bed, “Hurry up.” He only said, not answering the question. 

The _thup_ Connor made as he hit the ground - in too much of a hurry to notice the sheets tangling around his ankles - had Mitchell laughing under his breath even as he messed with the shower dials.


	3. "Do you trust me?"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> dialogue prompt: "Do you trust me?"

“Do you trust me?”

Mitchell sighed, “An _Aladdin_ reference? Really?”

“I knew you’d fall for it.” Connor only grinned, taking Mitchell’s hand and pulling him up. Fuck. Connor knew Mitchell had a thing for his muscles - mostly about the fact that Connor was able to swing and carry him around with complete ease - and employed the fact regularly.

“Why are we up here?” Mitchell asked, glancing around, mostly for a distraction from Connor’s biceps. Fuck. Mitchell was weak.

“Why not?” Connor only asked, already taking a step closer to Mitchell now that they were both up here. He kicked the door close behind him, glancing up after a second. “It’s a nice night, the sky’s beautiful, and I have a gorgeous boyfriend - why not?”

“Won’t we get in trouble?” Mitchell asked, his hands on Connor’s chest, glancing up at the other boy through his eyelashes just like he knew Connor loved.

Listen. Mitchell was a weak soul with a creative sex bucket list, and Sebastian would most definitely die if he found out about this, happening here, _on the roof of the Big House_. Mitchell would most definitely win the most creative sex award at the end of the year.

Say what you wanted about him, but Mitchell wasn’t one for missed chances.

Connor’s arms tightened around him, “Not if we’re quiet.” He finally answered, bending down to whisper it into Mitchell’s neck.

Mitchell shivered. “Like _I’m_ the one who has a problem being loud.”

Connor pulled away a bit from where he was already sucking marks into Mitchell’s neck. He raised an eyebrow, “Is that a challenge?”

Fuck. 


	4. Double Date from Hell

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: "Could you please write something about Mitchell/Travis and Stefan/Ellis on a double date?"

Okay so im like 80% percent sure you meant to type Mitchell\Connor bUT THIS IS ONE OF THE BEST PROMPTS I’VE RECEIVED AND NOW I CANT STOP LOL SORRY NOT SORRY

* * *

“He should be here any minute.” Mitchell grinned across the booth to his youngest brother, his eyes twinkling a bit at the sight of the large arm swung over his shoulders. He turned to his brother’s companion with a bright smile, “Do you enjoy Italian food, Ellis?”

The large boy in question shrugged a bit, always the quietest. It was a strange complementing contradiction to Stefan’s large and loud personality, but it worked better than Mitchell could have ever pretended.

Ellis still looking over the menu, his eyes a bit critical. “It’s good carbs.” He finally said, “It’ll be good for my work-out tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow’s leg day,” Stefan told Mitchell, his voice a bit swooning, his eyes a bit starry. “I tag along sometimes too!”

Ellis shot Stefan an obviously fond look. “You saying you tag along implies that you can keep up with me, sweetheart.”

Stefan frowned a playful look. “I can too keep up -”

“Sweetums!”

Mitchell froze in place, his hands mid-action as he ripped open a roll of bread, his mouth mid laughter at Stefan’s whiny voice.

Both Ellis and Stefan trained their gazes over Mitchell’s shoulder, Stefan’s mouth falling open as he caught sight of their new companion.

“Hey, honey-bunny.” Travis Stoll grinned down at him as he pushed himself into the leather booth, sliding in so he was pressed much-too-close to Mitchell’s side.

Mitchell automatically pushed away from him, his eyes wide, his hands still frozen in position. Travis plucked the bread from his hands and began to slather it into the untouched butter in the middle of the table. “Hey, love-birds! How are you guys? To be honest, totally thought this whole thing was a rumor at first -” He gestured to the both of them with the butter knife, a fleck of the horribly oily butter landing on the table next to Ellis’s clenched hand, “But I’m glad to see it isn’t! Out of everyone, I had good money on you two. Good to see I’m right again, and that I’m several drachmas richer!”

Mitchell finally managed to shake himself out of his frozen shock. “What - what? Travis, what are you doing here? Where’s Connor? How in the world did you find us?”

“Connor couldn’t make it.” Travis grinned charmingly over at him. “So I came instead!”

 _“What did you do to him,”_ Mitchell whispered, his voice coated in horror.

Travis ignored him, “And Katie’s totally cool with it! Or, I told her I was going on a date with an Aphrodite child and she told me she’d set your cabin on fire, which honestly means it’s _probably_ totally completely fine?” He shrugged, stuffing half a roll of bread into his mouth and talking through it, crumbs flying everywhere. Mitchell could distantly hear Stefan making noises of terror as the crumbs landed on the sleeves of his Burberry button down. “I mean, the Hermes cabin has been fireproof for years now, Aphrodite is too right?”

“Not even a little bit,” Stefan answered softly, probably thinking back to the numerous close calls they’ve had after too many hair straighteners, curlers, and flat-irons have been plugged in at once. Mitchell had to suppress a shudder as well.

Mitchell shook his head again, his hand coming up to run through his hair. He took a breath before speaking.

“Travis.” Mitchell’s voice was hard. “You can leave.”

“But darling -” Travis gave him a wide-eyed look, “How else will you go on a double date with your lovely brother and his handsome boyfriend?”

 _“With my actual boyfriend,”_ Mitchell told him through clenched teeth. “Now again, _what did you do to him.”_

Travis waved his hand through the air, “Oh, he’s fine.” Travis thought about that, “Probably. Depending on how on much he struggles, at least.”

Mitchell took a deep, steadying breath, his hands waving to twitch to the weapon at his side. Ellis, across the table, looked to be considering the same. His approval for the other boy gained a few points.

“Why are you here, Travis? Don’t you have anything better to do?”

“But Mitchell, honey. You see -” Travis laid an arm over Mitchell’s shoulders, and Mitchell had to very carefully consider how fond Connor was of his older brother. And how disappointed the other boy might be if Travis returned with significantly fewer arms. Travis, the asshole, continued speaking. “I’ve always thought we’ve had this certain connection. A certain draw of our souls, you could call it.” Travis gave him a longing look, a certain hysterical laughter hiding behind false emotion in his eyes. “And who are we to deny the fates?”

At that moment, Mitchell’s phone buzzed and with a quick, single glance at the message, he knew the course of action.

A quick grab and snap later, Mitchell was climbing over Travis’s cursing figure and sliding over the leather to the other side. He pulled out a few bills - to cover their drinks, the only part of the meal they’d gotten to - and threw them on the table before standing.

“You broke his wrist,” Stefan told him incredulously, scrambling out of the booth after him.

“You _broke_ his _wrist_ ,” Ellis repeated, grinning, a bit too overjoyed at the violence.

Mitchell hummed, tucking his phone away and pulling out his keys. He could still hear Travis cursing after him, probably grinning while doing so, and felt absolutely no regret.

“Connor’s tied to the top of the volcanic rock climbing wall.” Mitchell glanced back to the booth where Travis was still lying, now laughing and probably flirting with the overconcerned waitress. “And the Apollo kids can handle him. Let’s go.”

Just before he pushed the heavy restaurant doors open, he could very softly hear Ellis’s whisper to Stefan, “ _Your older brother is_ so _cool._ ”


	5. "I think I’m in love with you and that scares the hell out of me.”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> dialogue prompt: "I think I’m in love with you and that scares the hell out of me.”

honestly these bbs are so angst-free in my head (other than the distance they have sometimes ;-; so I had to think about this for a bit but here~~~) 

* * *

_“I think I’m in love with you and that scares the hell out of me.”_

* * *

Connor took a shaky breath, and the beat of emotion surprised the other boy. “Mitchell…” He sighed, but the sound was more final, more desperate then the action should have allowed. “I think I’m in love with you, and that scares the hell out of me.”

Mitchell took a small step forward, his hands coming up to circle Connor’s neck and pull his face down, resting their foreheads together. “Why are you scared?” He asked, his voice as soft as his gaze, not fully understanding. 

Connor swallowed, his hands in tight, nervous fists at his side. “Because I’ve never loved anyone like this. Like, like I’m giving you everything I am and praying you won’t crush it.” Connor stumbled over his breath, “Mitchell. I love you so much I can’t _breathe_ sometimes. And that terrifies me.” He pulled his face away to look off in the distance, keeping his face neutral despite his shaking hands and voice. “I know…I know that it’s too much. I can get too much and that I love too much but, Mitchell, you’re so easy to love. And I know that you don’t feel the same -”

“What makes you think that?” Mitchell interrupted, his voice surprisingly sharp. “That I don’t love you just as much?” 

Connor blinked. “Mitchell…I’ve been in love with you for years. Since that game of Capture the Flag, honestly. I understand - I’ve had so much more time to love you and. I get it. ” 

Mitchell stared at him for a moment, “What are you talking about?” He finally asked. 

Connor shook his head, a small smile resting on his face despite the layer of tense emotion resting over the air between them. “We were what, fourteen?” He laughed softly, “Travis and I got separated during Capture the Flag, and I was cornered by a group of Athena kids who were pissed about some prank. I was just preparing myself to roll with the punches when this kid -” He cut himself off to give Mitchell a small smile, “lead a literal crowd of reinforcements in to save my ass, while shooting arrow after arrow in the blue team’s crowd. You helped me up and gave me a sword and told me to cover the west end. I thought you were like my knight in shining armor or something.” Connor sighed softly, still smiling a bit as he rested his forehead against Mitchell’s. “I had to interrogate like, four different people in order to find out your name. It was embarrassing really, my fourteen-year-old crush on you.”

“I don’t remember that,” Mitchell answered softly. 

Connor gave him a shrug, “It was a long time ago.”

“I don’t remember that,” Mitchell repeated, his voice stronger this time as his hand coming up to curve across Connor’s check. “But I remember so many other things about you. I remember meeting you in the Mess Hall, and your many pranks, and the summer we started dating. I remember every surprise and laugh and smile you’ve shared with me, all the Skype calls and visits and each time you’ve stolen me away or knocked me off my feet.” Mitchell gave him a watery laugh, not even noticing how much his eyes were starting to water. “I remember all that, Connor, and I know how much I love you.” Mitchell glanced up to the other boy, his finger coming up to brush Connor’s parted lips. “It’s scary, I know. I really know. Because I love you so much that it feels like the love I have for you is all I am, and that’s terrifying.” 

Mitchell’s thumb came up to swipe at the wetness under Connor’s eyes. 

“Yeah.” Connor agreed, his voice raspy. He pulled Mitchell into his chest, Mitchell clenching back just as tightly, and buried his face into Mitchell’s neck. “I understand.”


	6. "Marry me."

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dialogue prompt: "Marry me."

“Fuck.” Connor breathed out, his eyes wide. His eyes were trained on the ring, unblinking and unbreathing. “Is this - is this for real?”

Mitchell swallowed, “Connor, I can’t imagine a day without you by my side. Since our very first date, I’ve known I was done. That I was done looking because - there you were. Everything I’ve ever wanted.” Mitchell kept his eyes on Connor despite the urge to glance away. “Every time you laugh I feel like I’m falling more in love with you. I love you when you smile and cry and we fight. I love you when you forget to do the dishes or when you leave your towel on the ground and - and when you’re making dinner and singing along to the radio. My love for you is such a constant I don’t even consider it as a separate part of me anymore.” Mitchell took a breath, “Connor Stoll. You’re my best friend. I love you. I don’t see a future without you in it because you _are_ my future.” Mitchell let out a small laugh, his knee beginning to ache as he bent before the other boy. “Marry me?”

Both of Connor’s hand were clasped over his mouth, where they had been since the moment he turned and saw Mitchell kneed in front of him, and a sob suddenly escaped his chest. “Oh gods, Mitchell.” He took a moment to steady himself, tears streaking down his cheeks. “I love you so much. Mitchell, you never cease to surprise me. I - Yes! Of course, I’ll marry you!”

Mitchell lurched up, the bit of fear clouding his chest dissipating in a single second, and threw his hands around the other boy - his fiance - tears already beginning to edge out of the corners of his eyes.

“I”m so happy.” Connor told him with watery eyes as they pulled away, Mitchell carefully slipping the ring on Connor’s finger. He trailed his finger over it - along with its only companion, the ring from so many Valentine’s Days ago, still there on Connor’s hand.

“Me too.” Mitchell’s voice was slightly raspy as he pulled Connor into another embrace.

Mitchell’s eyes flew open as he considered something, his hand stilling from its place on Connor’s neck. “Wait.”

Mitchell pulled away, his eyes suddenly wide. “Oh gods. Does this mean Travis is going to be your best man?”

Connor nodded happily, his eyes still glued to the ring on his hand even as he clicked out several new Instagram photos of the piece.

Mitchell let out a loud sigh, the action still not enough to diminish the radiating happiness growing in his chest. “Connor, if he tries and hits on me during the wedding I promise I Will Not Hesitate to slap him.”

Connor only laughed at the threat in Mitchell’s voice. “What can I say?” Connor pulled himself away from his home to give the other boy a fond smile, his eyes soft with love. “Us Stoll Brothers know what we want.” His cheeks were flushed with such a happy glow, Mitchell couldn’t resist the urge to bend down and press a soft kiss to his cheek.

Connor suddenly paused, a bit of horror creeping over his face. “Wait.” He blinked, “Does this mean we have to tell your siblings?”

“Oh, gods.” Mitchell answered back in equal horror. “They’re gonna want to plan the wedding.”

They both stared at each other for a long moment.

“So let’s elope, yeah?”

Connor was already nodding, “I’ve had the paperwork ready for months darling, let’s go.”


	7. Thank the Pancake Gods

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [inspired by Nerdzewordart's fanart!](https://rosyredlipstick.tumblr.com/post/162836266763/nerdzewordart-praise-the-pancake-gods-dont)

Mitchell was responsible. 

This was true, this was a _fact._

He was in charge of a cabin full of reckless, lovesick teenagers - he was kind of _forced_ to be. He was responsible, and was a bit proud of that fact. 

_So_ why _in the gods name was he doing this?_

“We only need to eat four more stacks between the both of us.” Connor’s voice was much too serious even as he spoke through a mouthful of pancakes. “Katie’s slowing down, and Travis can’t keep up with me.” 

Mitchell nodded, taking another large bite of pancake. In the distant, there were cheers. At least his siblings were cheering them on. He took a long drink of water, depending on the chilled liquid to mushen up the pancakes so he could swallow earlier. 

“We’re gonna win this, babe.” Connor declared, pieces of pancake flying from his mouth, syrup drippling down his chin. There was a sound of disgust from his left where his siblings were gathered, probably Drew. 

There was a yell of victory as Katie pulled yet another plate closer toward her, Travis beaming beside her, only half-finished through his third plate. 

If they didn’t win, all of the stickiness and calories and emotional pancake scaring would have been for nothing. 

Mitchell was having none of that. 

He pulled another plate of syrup drowned pancakes from where they were lined in front of them, rolled up the pancake, and stuffed a large bite into his mouth. 

Beside him, Connor beamed. 


	8. Hogwarts AU 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [Inspired by Nerdzewordart's fanart!](https://rosyredlipstick.tumblr.com/post/164754320348/nerdzewordart-poor-katie-has-to-put-up-with-so)

Mitchell leaned in for a deep breath, his eyes fluttering closed. After a moment, he only huffed out in frustration.

He cut a glare over to Sebastian, who was lounging across the desk with impossible ease. “We messed it up.”

Sebastian, who was busy making lazy eyes at a grinning Gryffindor, cut his unimpressed eyes back to his partner. He raised an eyebrow, “Impossible.” He only said, looking to inspect his nails. His air of nonchalance was beginning to annoy Mitchell, a fact that Sebastian was absolutely aware of. “My best subject is Potions.”

Mitchell sighed, “Well I can hardly smell anything,” he frowned, “Honestly, it might be your shaving cream from this morning blocking the scent, it’s so strong. Since I stepped in the room it’s been the only thing I can smell.”

Sebastian gave him a questioning look. “I didn’t shave this morning,” he pointed out, his feet finally dropping from the edge of the desk so he could lean in close to the bubbling cauldron. A rare smile dripped over his features with the action, his eyes closing as he inhaled deeper.

“What do you smell?” Mitchell asked, mostly curious, half wondering if the potion was a flute. Sebastian _was_ great at potions - that was, after all, the main reason Mitchell had agreed to partner up with the boy despite their different houses, but Sebastian also _had_ been making bedroom eyes at several of their classmates during the entire class period. So. There was that.

“Clove,” Sebastian finally answered, “And my mom’s perfume, and chocolate chip cookies.”

“Clove….like those gross cigarettes like, everyone in your family smokes?” Mitchell wrinkled his nose, “I’d wish you stop.”

Sebastian gave him a look, beginning to clear off their working area, probably just so he could lounge around _that_ next. “Well,” Sebastian remarked, “What do _you_ smell?”

Mitchell frowned, leaning forward to inhale the mist once again. “Nothing really, I don’t know why. Shaving cream, mostly - but I thought that was you. Smoke, a little bit? But again - that might just be you.” Mitchell shrugged helplessly, “I’m not getting much of anything else.”

Sebastian paused for a moment, his finger coming up to his chin. “Do you have any particularly good memories with shaving cream?” Sebastian gave him a suggestive look, “Perhaps a past lover?”

Mitchell laughed at that, his head tipping back, and was briefly reminded _why_ he chose to hang around the other boy so much. Sebastian was, at moments, hilarious.

Before Mitchell could say anything, an explosion sounded from his right.

He didn’t even jump at that sound. That, he supposed, was a side effect of sharing a class with a Stoll Brother.

He turned, an amused smile already on his face, to the familiar station more than often coated with chaos.

Katie and Connor’s fronts were nearly coated in thick purple liquid, each wincing at it began to slide down their protective aprons and onto the floor.

As it hit the stone, it sizzled.

Mitchell laughed, and the book Connor had used to shield himself from the explosion dropped from his hands. Probably from the slippery goo, and the sharp elbow Katie was digging into his side.

Professor D didn’t even look up from this Daily Prophet to investigate the explosion, and Mitchell took that moment to lean forward.

“Having problems?” He asked, his voice the picture of innocence.

Katie, at Connor’s side, sighed heavily, wrinkling her nose at the goo covering her arms.

“It was done before this idiot knocked a tube of dried rose petals in it,” Katie frowned, “Which shouldn’t have been a _problem_ if he _also_ hadn’t added an extra moonstone.”

“I thought you were great at potions?” Mitchell asked him, curious. It was quite known - Connor and Travis were the amazing potions and charms duo of the Gryffindor house. It made their pranks honestly awe-inspiring.

When they weren’t against his house, of course. Mitchell was going to _scream_ if he woke up to the castle being flooded again.

A rare color filled Connor’s cheeks, “I, uh -” He waved his hand around in an awkward motion, “Distracted. I was distracted.”

Katie muttered something, now focused on scrubbing at the parts of her robe that had been caught victim from the goo. As she did this, leaning from their desk, Mitchell noticed a separate cauldron at the burner.

“What’s that?” He asked curiously, leaning forward on the desk, careful not to get his robes dirty.

Katie spoke up first. “Connor was trying to replicate his own version of the potion,” She waved her hand in through the air, a speck of goo flying through the air. “So I could smell what he smelled and vise versa. It sounded cool on paper, honestly.”

Mitchell gave that a moment of consideration. He wasn’t sure how useful it’d be, honestly, but it did sound kind of cool - especially if the other boy could pull it off.

Mitchell took a step forward, “Can I?”

Connor was staring at him with wide eyes, which was strange but hey, it’s not like he got a potion exploded all over him every day. Every other day, at least. He didn’t move to stop him, so Mitchell took that as permission, stepping forward to the bubbling pot.

Mitchell inhaled, then frowned. “I don’t smell anything.”

Sebastian came up behind him, doing the same. “It kind of smells like your colog-”

“Professor D!” Connor was suddenly shouting, drawing the attention back to himself. “We uh, we need help to clean this all up! Should I, uh, go get some house elves? Or something?”

Professor D waved him off, probably giving him permission to do whatever he wanted. Professor D was good like that.

Connor rushed out, his boots leaving goo footsteps on his way out, and Katie only looked over to roll her eyes at the other boy.

“I can help you get cleaned up,” Mitchell offered, already thinking of how to persuade Sophia to bring her extra Gryffindor robe down for her housemate. It wouldn’t be hard - maybe only a chocolate frog and an offer to finish her Transfiguration essay. He glanced over his shoulder but Sebastian only waved him off, already bottling today’s sample to submit at the end of class.

Katie smiled slightly, taking the hand Mitchell had offered to her. “You’re nice,” she observed, smoothing her frizzy curls back. Mitchell winced at the action - goo had gotten in her hair, and it would be hard to get out.

“That’s good,” Katie seemed to decide on something, allowing Mitchell to pull her away into the hall.

“Thank you?”

Later, after getting Katie cleaned up and in a borrowed robe, they walked down to dinner together. Before they separated, Katie patted his shoulder in thanks and went off to the Gryffindor table, where the Stoll Brothers were waiting.

Mitchell didn’t linger to see, but Connor was currently shooting the other boy looks of wide-eyed adornment.

Mitchell sat down instead and began to unpack his backpack. Sebastian, at his side, only sighed as he sat down. Micah and Lacey were paired together for a project and were skipping dinner to stay in the library during a rare moment of emptiness. Therefore, Mitchell was sitting - and studying, as he tended to do during meals - at the Slytherin table. No one really cared anyway, and anyone who did would have to face Sebastian’s bitch face and knuckles. The other boy was good like that.

As he sat down, Basil - their year, a Slytherin - paused in front of Sebastian, and held out a wrapped up napkin to the other boy, an unimpressed look on his face.

“Your calories,” Basil only remarked, turning back to his own group of friends.

Sebastian unwrapped the paper, shooting a quick glare towards Mitchell saying _dont you dare say a word_ as he shoved the small, still warm, cookie whole in his mouth. Basil must have snuck it from the kitchens to get it that fresh.

Mitchell held up his hands in surrender - everyone knew about Basil and Sebastian’s on-and-off-again-and-on-again-and-okay-now-off-forever-but-wait relationship where they both pretended not to care about each other while making out on the common room couch.

Mitchell was probably going to have to talk to the other boy about it one of these days.

One of these days. But not today.

Now, as he cracked open his worn textbook and Sebastian rolled his eyes next to him, he was going to figure out why the potion didn’t work.


	9. Hogwarts AU 2

Division, despite how much his housemates tended to favor the subject, had to be one of Mitchell’s least favorite subjects. It was a _ridiculously_ complicated subject, one Mitchell wasn’t even sure he fully _believed_ in, with a severe O.W.L. exam and a classroom in the middle of nowhere. It’s only saving graces were the professor - Professor Dare, although she usually insisted on her first name considering the minimal age gap - and his classmates.

But it was when both of these factors worked against his favor - that’s when he dreaded the class the most.

Rachel gestured towards the board as she explained the simple assignment, and Mitchell’s eyes ran down the board looking for his own name. In her swirly, cursive handwriting, a floating piece of chalk was just finishing up writing out the partner assignments. At the bottom, Mitchell found his name next to one he wasn’t _exactly_ hoping for and sighed. Might as well make the best of it.

Sebastian shot him an apologetic grin as he shifted closer to his partner - who happened to be the exact classmate he’d been making eyes at the entire class period. If Sebastian ever learned to weld his annoyingly persistent good luck for actual use, the boy would be damn near invincible. 

Mitchell gathered his books and made his way over to the other side of the room, brushing back Katie - a Gryffindor girl in his year - as he crossed the uneven stone flooring.

He waved over to Will - a fellow Hufflepuff - as the blond boy edged closer to infamously sarcastic Nico di Angelo. Nico only scowled, ignoring the boy completely, and glared down at his book, messing with the emerald tie slung around his neck. Good luck to him, then.

He found his partner, strangely frozen in his seat, and settled for a soft, welcoming smile.

Mitchell set his book in the empty space Katie had just vacated, and took a moment to run his hand through his hair. After rushing up the circular staircase - after Sebastian had nearly made them late _again_ \- it was probably a mess.

He took his seat, soft smile in place. “Partners?”

Connor had been staring at him since the moment he arrived and took a moment to visibly swallow. “Uh. Yeah. Yes. I mean, sure, totally.”

Mitchell gave him another small smile - hopefully reassuring, as the boy seemed to be a bit on edge - and took the seat next to the other boy.

The small tea set - dinged up and slightly chipped from years of use - was already in place, steaming and awaiting from where Rachel had probably set it up before class. Mitchell poured out their two cups, careful not to spill any of it on either of them. Gods knew he didn’t need to be in the bad pocket of a Stoll Brother - he could hardly handle being in a _neutral_ position.

Yeah, he was _still_ a bit upset about their castle wide prank last week. Strawberry pie was an innocent commodity and had no reason to be such a casualty, no matter what Sebastian claimed.

“Sugar?” Connor was already passing over two sugar cubes, and a small leaf of mint. That was exactly how he took it.

Mitchell blinked in surprise, “Oh, thank you.” He stirred the sugar in, watching - a bit in slight disgust - as Connor added several sugar cubes to his own cup. It was nearly sludge. Mitchell suppressed a shudder.

He turned his attention back to his own cup, inhaling the steam, his eyes fluttering shut. It was a pleasant blend - strawberry, it seemed, a flavor Mitchell tended to favor. He vaguely wondered where Rachel had gotten it.

“You’re muggleborn, right?” Mitchell asked curiously, attempting to make some conversation, taking a slow sip. It was a bit too hot, but nothing unbearable.

Connor nodded, still a bit stiff. “Uh, yeah. Um, Travis and I.”

Mitchell nodded in interest. “That’s cool. My dad’s a muggle, but I mostly lived with some relatives on my mom’s side for the summers.” His face took a thoughtful look, “I always wondered about my muggle side, what it’s like and such.”

“I can show you,” was Connor’s quick - a bit too quick - and immediate response. He cleared his throat after a moment. “I mean, if you ever want to, um, go see muggle London or something I, uh, know it pretty well. My mom’s lives up there, has a nice flat.”

“Wow,” Mitchell’s voice took on an edge of teasing, “already meeting the parents? You work quick, Stoll.” He fluttered his eyelashes, a wide grin on his face. “At least treat me to dinner first.” 

“Haaaaa,” Connor dragged out the word, his face frozen in a stiff grin. “You’re…funny.”

Mitchell took another sip of his tea, the teasing glint still in his eyes. “Not nearly as _funny,”_ he emphasized the word, still wincing at the thought of his old robes, “as the prank you and Travis pulled yesterday.” He squinted at his nails - he could almost still see the goo - the goo that had exploded over most of the Hogwarts student body last night at dinner - clinging to the sides of his cuticles. “Hufflepuff was hit particularly hard, I noticed.” 

“That was…an accident,” Connor’s voice was a barely concealed lie. Mitchell briefly wondered what one of them did to the pair, and if they should be expecting more.

Despite the common thought, Hufflepuffs _weren’t_ ones for taking a fight lying down, and his housemates had been dying for some action.

Mitchell hummed, ignoring the lie, his finger coming up to his chin. “It would have been better if you managed to hit the Slytherins.” He shot a glance over to where Sebastian was leaning in close to a grinning Ravenclaw girl, briefly imagining the other boy coated in the thick, blue-green goo that had overtaken the hall only a night prior. “Would have been hilarious to see.”

Connor paused at that, his hand hovering in mid-air holding the cup close to his lips. He sighed after a moment, a motion of regret. “It was supposed to,” he admitted, “but the cannons weren’t strong enough to launch the enhanced tablets across the hall.”

Mitchell blinked, a bit surprised. “Oh, you used magic _and_ muggle technology? That’s…actually pretty cool.”

Connor almost beamed at that, “Yeah? You think so?”

“Yeah, totally,” Mitchell smiled, and then Connor smiled, and they shared a moment then, a pleasant one in the middle of a dusty classroom, surrounded by classmates and spiderwebs and tea and an eccentric teacher. Connor had a really nice smile - straight teeth on display, deep dimples grooving into his cheeks.

Mitchell tipped back the last of his tea, not really acknowledging it as a distraction, and instead made a face at the clumped up tea grounds and sugar at the bottom. Beside him, Connor’s eyes were edging out of _moon-eye_ level, and into _total, complete adornment_. Not that Mitchell noticed.

Rachel called their attention back to the front of the classroom, explaining they would take turns reading each other’s tea leaves to the class. Mitchell sighed - despite the small class size, he still hated having to present to them.

They went around the room, after briefly peeking into each other’s cups but finding no immediate, obvious images, and soon it was Mitchell’s turn, as he pulled the small cup and his textbook closer to him.

“Mitchell?” Rachel prompted, a soft, dreamy smile on her face. “Can you decipher Connor’s leaves?”

Mitchell squinted into the small pool of tea leaves at the bottom of the cup. “I think that’s a spade?” He flipped the page in his book, matching up the grainy symbol to the picture. Huh. It was nearly identical - that was good. The clearer the picture, the stronger and longer lasting of the fortune told, at least from what Rachel had lectured on the day previous.

“Good fortune,” Mitchell read off for the other boy, “Whatever you’re working on - maybe a project or something? - you’re going to have good luck with it.”

Connor made a choking sound, his hands clenched on the table.

Mitchell gave him a curious look, “Are you okay?” He blinked a few times at his textbook, “I mean, that’s good, right? The book says it’s supposed to be good fortune.”

He swallowed in the face of Mitchell’s curious, concerned look. “No, uh, I mean that’s good. That’s great.” He nodded, his gaze steady on the table in front of him.

“Okay…” Mitchell trailed off, unsure of the other boy’s strange mood. He cleared his throat, tipping his head towards the other boy. “Your turn?”

Connor fumbled with the small glass for a second, a rare color filling his cheeks at the small bit of laughter from the other students - Katie’s high bark of a laugh in particular - and peered down in the cup.

“I think…” He glanced down into the open textbook in his lap, “Maybe, uh, a circle? It kind of looks like a blob…”

Rachel, from over the boy’s shoulder, peered down in the cup. After a moment, she lit up.

“Why, that’s a heart!” Rachel grinned at him, poking him in the shoulder. “Looks like lover boy’s gonna find a sweetheart real soon.”

Mitchell grinned, rolling his eyes. “Gods know I need one,” he joked, not really understanding the color blooming on Connor’s cheeks. Was he feeling okay? Maybe he should go see Madam Pomfrey.

Rachel clapped her hands together, looking happy. “Alright, next!” She turned her attention to the next table, her grin widening just a bit. “Will, care to go first?”

The blond boy gave her a sharp, affirmative nod before glancing down to the cup cradled in his hand.

He bit his lip, narrowing his eyes as he stared down in Nico’s small cup. “I think he has a…sun, maybe? So like,” He glanced down into his textbook briefly, “he’s going to find a great happiness soon.” He shot a beaming smile towards the other boy, “That’s good!”

Nico’s cheeks were filled with a bit of color - rare for the usually deathly pale boy. “Whatever, it’s all fake anyway.” He muttered, pulling Will’s cup towards him.

“What do you see?” Will grinned excitedly, leaning in so he was looking over the other boy’s shoulder. Nico didn’t pull away.

A look of concentration took over Nico’s face as he focused on the leaves. After a few moments, he sighed, “I don’t see anything.”

“Looks like a skull,” Rachel remarked, tilting the cup to the side. They both jumped at the girl’s sudden presence behind them, Nico looking a bit pissed off, Will hesitant.

Will frowned, “Isn’t that bad?”

“Not necessarily,” She reassured him, her eyes flickering towards the other boy at his table. “The symbols, while usually have general meanings, are flexible with meaning for each person. This could mean something symbolic for you, or perhaps something with a bit more physical meaning.”

“So, I basically have a lot of skulls in my future?” Will’s face took a thoughtful look, “I do want to be a doctor. Maybe something with that?”

Rachel hummed with amusement, “Maybe.”

Even from his place at a different table, Mitchell could see the heavy, shiny ring on di Angelo’s finger as the other boy fiddled with it. His _skull_ ring.

Mitchell hid a smile in his hand. Sometimes they were so obvious, it nearly pained him.

From his side, Connor was fidgeting. He shot the other boy a curious look, moving to gather his books together. The class was nearly over, and Mitchell had to get to the other side of the castle in the short passing period.

Rachel began her dismissals - warning everyone to grab their rain jackets for tomorrow despite the perfect weather prediction - and everyone moved to leave. Mitchell quickly stuffed his satchel full and stood. 

Connor, who had been watching with slightly-wide eyes as Mitchell and his classmates packed up, stumbled to his feet just as Mitchell was beginning to turn away.

“Hogsmeade,” Connor choked out, his hand flashing out to grip the edge of Mitchell’s robes. “I - you - I mean, Hogsmeade?”

Mitchell blinked, giving the other boy a surprised look. “Oh, uh, I think there’s a trip going this weekend, if that’s what you’re asking? You might want to ask McGonagall.”

“No, I -” Connor bit his lip, his hand still fisted around a section of Mitchell’s robes. “I mean, um. Do you, uh, want to go to Hogsmeade. With me.”

Oh.

Mitchell’s eyes flittered in surprise, his mouth parting a bit.

Connor was _nervous._

“Like for a….” Mitchell trailed off.

“A date. It would be, uh, a date.” Connor clarified, his voice wobbling.

“With me?” Mitchell was still a bit dumbfounded. He didn’t even know Connor _liked_ him, and he usually pretty good with these sorts of things.

“You with, yes.” Connor was looking more nervous by the minute.

Mitchell couldn’t do anything but nod, a bit numb.

Connor’s face immediately broke into a wide, beaming grin. “That’s great! I mean, that’s really cool. Um,” In the face of the other boy’s quick excitement, Mitchell felt himself relax a bit. “Do you like, anywhere you want to go? Your pick!”

“Madam Puddifoot’s?” Mitchell teased, coming back to himself. The Stoll Brothers were infamously drawn away from the popular tea shop. Vaguely, Mitchell wondered if they were banned from the store. Wouldn’t be the first time.

Connor didn’t even blink, “Anywhere you want,” he replied breathlessly earnest. “We can walk there together? Around five?”

Mitchell had to suppress a smile at Connor’s immediate agreement. “Actually, how about the Three Broomsticks?” He nudged the other boy’s hip with his own, “A bit more comfortable?”

“Sounds amazing,” Connor breathed out, his hand finally slowly releasing Mitchell’s robe.

And…it kind of did.

Sebastian, waiting impatiently in the doorway, knocked his knuckles against the doorway, drawing their attention towards him.

He raised an eyebrow, “Coming lover boy? Or should I leave you and boytoy here and tell McGoogles you’re missing class to get some dick?”

And just….fuck Sebastian. Mitchell was going to _murder him._

Mitchell gave him a dangerous stretch of lips, tilting his head slightly. “Be there in a _second,_ Sebastian.”

His cheeks flaming, he briefly turned back to the other boy to say goodbye only to be surprised that Connor….was in nearly the same position of harsh, reddened cheeks.

“I’ll see you later,” Connor quickly got out, the words all pressed together and nearly incomprehensible.

“I’ll…see you later,” he agreed, a coy smile taking place on his face. Connor, already a bit lightheaded, nearly fainted at the sight. “See you Saturday.” 

And with that, he left. 

And with that, Connor was left standing after him, staring after him. 

And in the background, rolling her eyes, Katie Gardner shared a quick high-five with Professor Dare. 


	10. NYE Conchell AU

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> this takes place during Rental Love Chapter 9 (AKA the NYE chapter)

[this takes place during ](https://rosyredlipstick.tumblr.com/post/169168011273/nye-conchell-drabble)[Rental Love](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=http%3A%2F%2Farchiveofourown.org%2Fworks%2F9905366%2Fchapters%2F22199660&t=NjExNjA0MzZiMDk4NjI1NTQ1MTJhN2Q4NjAzYTExMTNjMjJhYTMzOCw2ZE44REZhRQ%3D%3D&b=t%3AwkQReMCdbp9nbcpwpVX1OA&p=https%3A%2F%2Frosyredlipstick.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F169168011273%2Fnye-conchell-drabble&m=1) Chapter 9 (AKA the NYE chapter) You don’t have to read that other fic at all to understand, just know that they’re all in the di Angelo manor having a party. 

Anyways, a few people asked for this and there was no better time for me to post this ^.^ HAPPY NEW YEARS EVE

* * *

“What are you doing?”

Connor froze, his finger deep in wires and rope, and cursed. 

Fuck. He and Travis had promised no pranks this time, but, well….

It was a _balloon drop_ \- the temptation had simply been too much.

Usually, he could simply bribe whoever caught him, or blackmail depending, but he and Travis _had_ promised. Di Angelo was going to _kill_ them.

Connor turned, an excuse already on his lips, and his breath caught in his chest.

The stranger - leaning up against the side of the wall, his arms crossed, his expression curious - was, simply put, probably a god given human form. Probably. Most likely.

Connor went mute, his mouth hanging open without sound, and blinked back at the other man.

“You’re doing it wrong,” The stranger told him, a small frown on his face as he peered down at the mess of rope and wire. “You’re filling the balloons with paint, and you’re having them explode at midnight?”

Connor, staring up at the other boy, only nodded numbly. A small screaming voice in his head, sounding suspiciously like Katie, yelled at him to _say something._

“You need to account for the added weight,” The boy took a small step forward, stripping his jacket in the movement. He was wearing a thin V-neck with his forearms on clear display. Connor never knew he was religious until this moment. 

The boy narrowed his eyes at the mess of wires, “You just need to tighten the net holding back the balloons a little, I think. Any tighter they could start popping from being squished, but at the current hold I don’t think it’ll be as dramatic as you want. They’ll just plop on the ground. So if you -”

“I’m Connor,” he choked out in the middle of the other boy’s sentence, interrupting him. Connor blinked a few times, cursing himself.

The boy glanced over at him in surprise before grinning. “Hi Connor,” Fuck, Connor was so red. “I’m Mitchell.”

Connor swallowed, “I, uh, haven’t seen you at one of these before.” _I would have remembered._

“My first one in a while,” The boy explained, “Piper - my older sister, you know her? - dragged me and Drew along.”

Ah. That explained it, a bit. He could see it now - that supermodel attractiveness that simply ran in her family. It was….evident, in Mitchell too.

Mitchell was already turned back to the balloon drop

“I think -” Mitchell leaned forward, his fingers nimble and light as they traced over the knots holding a majority of the netting together, “If you pull on these two ropes - maybe twist this wiring - and retie them here, it should hold a lot better.”

Connor blinked a few times, processing the other boy’s suggestion. Connor had just been planning on having them fall as was, no real flair to it. But Mitchell’s suggestion would better the prank, making all the balloons explode forward out of the next, instead of having them fall slowly down.

It was good.

He was brilliant.

Connor once again nodded numbly, and that set Mitchell to work.

It was quick work, just a bit of tightening, a few loose screws, tasks that Mitchell seemed to have no problem fixing. Connor watched him work with wide eyes, only blinking back when Mitchell suddenly stood, dusting off his hands.

“It’s rigged to go off at midnight?” Mitchell asked, continuing at Connor’s nod, grinning. “Then we better get out of here, right?”

“Right,” Connor breathed out, not making a move.

Mitchell gave him an amused look, his hand coming down to curl around Connor’s wrist. “Well, _c’mon_ then.”

Connor, without much choice or fight against the matter, followed the other boy into the crowd, and let them get a good distance from the balloon drop. Di Angelo would still know it was him, and Travis would probably come find him to proudly clasp him on the back but for the moment, it was unknown.

“Ten minutes,” Mitchell pulled the other boy close to tell him, the crowd pressing them closer together. “Wanna dance?”

Connor, whose automatic response wanting to be _yes please_ or _the gods know i want nothing in this world more please oh my god,_ in no way trusted his voice, and only nodded.

Mitchell shot him a grin, pulling him in closer, and…

And it was obvious Mitchell knew what he was doing.

And what was Connor doing? Usually, he was the smooth and suave grinning troublemaker, never had he been so…

Mitchell shot a grin over his shoulder as he turned and began dancing on Connor.

His cheeks roared into color. Never before had he been so _flustered._

He forced himself to get in better with the music, with the beat. He could _do_ this.

He was just getting into it, into Mitchell’s body pressing against his own, grinning and flipping his blue hair, the other boy laughing and pressing jell-o shots into Connor’s hands as waitresses passed by, when the current song drifted off, and the DJ pulled up a digital clock and mic, hyping up the crowd.

Mitchell shot him a grin, stepping forward, as the DJ encouraged them to _grab onto their sweetheart_. Connor’s heart pounded.

The countdown began, and Connor hadn’t been this nervous about a New Year’s kiss since he was in junior high. Sweat, not from the heat of the room but only the moment, formed on the back of his neck, on the insides of his palms.

“Do you mind?” Mitchell grinned, patting down his wild blue hair. Connor swallowed.

“Not, I mean - Not at all,” Connor barely got out, before jerking towards the other boy, without much grace.

But what Connor lacked, Mitchell seemed to make up without hardly any effort. He wound his arms around Connor’s neck, a sweet devious smile on his face, his hands coming up to face through Connor’s curls. Mitchell, thankfully, seemed to know to take the lead. Connor wondered if he was being that oblivious.

The other boy had sugar on his lips, probably from one of the many cotton candy machines lined up against the wall. He pressed against Connor’s lips, his hand smoothing up and down Connor’s neck, a tease of tongue and heat. Everyone was cheering, the lights were flaring and, from a distance, there were shouts of shock and confusion as the balloons exploded and popped overhead, covering the crowd with paint and glitter.

Mitchell was still kissing him, even as a shock of rouge glitter splashed across them. His nose was pressing into Connor’s cheek, his hands were everywhere, and Connor felt like he was drowning in the other boy.

This was the best kiss of Connor’s life.

Mitchell pulled away, smiling, unwinding his arms from around Connor’s neck and stepping back.

Which, as Connor blinked in surprise and a bit in awe, was the _exact opposite_ of what Connor wanted.

“It’s nice to meet you, Connor.” He smiled sweetly, “I should go find my sisters - make sure they’re not doing anything stupid.”

Connor could do something stupid. He could do many stupid things, in any order, if it meant Mitchell would stay close and watch over him.

And he did, actually, do something stupid - he stupidly gave the other boy a small wave, and watched him disappear into the group.

That…was probably the stupidest thing he’d done all night.


	11. Mortal AU

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Do you think in a mortal AU Conner and Mitchell would have worked if Conner had tried to pickpocket Mitchell, but Mitchell catching him- then, from that point onwards, Conner'd purposefully try to pickpocket him just to spend time with him. (JUST IGNORE ME IF YOU DON'T THINK SO, SORRY IF I WASTE YOUR TIME WITH MY AWFUL AU QUESTIONS- SO SORRY, AGAIN)"

THIS ISNT AWFUL NOT AT ALL 

-

The stranger tightened his hold on Connor’s wrist and kept a pleasant look on his face. “Hey,” his voice was kind, neutral with emotion. His eyes flickered down to Connor’s wrist, and his other hand deep in his jean jacket. “I believe you have something of mine. My wallet?”

Travis would be coming in soon, he thought, run interference so Connor could make an escape.

The guy didn’t seem…upset. Not like the other very few times he’d been caught - once where he ended up with a black eye. He seemed almost…amused.

Usually, Connor would blab on about something until Travis could arrive, maybe about how Connor _had no idea what you were talking about_ and how _im so insulted you could accuse me of such a thing_ and he’d go on like that until Travis would rush by with a full coffee cup and spill it on the stranger, or trip directly onto the grip that the boy had around Connor’s wrist, or numerous other things.

But Connor only blinked at the other boy - with his soft, amused smile, blue hair, twinkling eyes - and dropped the leather wallet into the other boys awaiting hand.

He could almost _hear_ Travis’s exclamation of question at that action.

“Thank you,” The boy told him, more genuine then it should have been for a pickpocketer. Connor swallowed and tried to ignore the boy’s easy grin. He hadn’t said a single word yet.

Dammit. Connor should know better than to try and pickpocket the hot ones. He was _so weak_ in the face of a cute boy.

The stranger finally released Connor’s wrist - although Connor hadn’t made any real attempt to escape - and took a step back.

“Thanks again,” he said, smiling sweetly, “have a nice day. Hope you have better success with someone else.”

Connor could only nod dumbly - an agreement, he guessed - before the stranger pocketed his own wallet and went to continue down the street.

“Oh,” The stranger gave him a half-turn, looking over his shoulder. He tossed something - heavy and shiny and metal - over to Connor with a confident, teasing grin.

Connor caught it with ease, barely fumbling with the catch.

It…was his watch.

“Be careful,” the stranger advised, already walking away. “I hear there are pickpockers around here.”

Connor blinked after him, clenching at the metal piece in his hands, and was in that position when Travis rushed up to his side, panting.

“Sorry,” he was already getting out through his heavy pants, leaning on his brother. “There was this girl, and a bunch of pigeons and I tripped and -” he steadied his breath, “sorry. You alright?”

Connor was still blinking at where the boy had disappeared into the crowd. Around them, New Yorkers went about their business.

Travis was tightening his hold on his brother’s shoulder, “Con, you good?”

Connor finally ripped his gaze away from the space, his watch now being held tightly to his chest. His eyes were wide, and his voice in awe. “Travis, I’m in _love.”_


	12. The Conchell drabble that will go nowhere

The sole reason I titled this that is bc it’s a reminder to myself that I REALLY DONT NEED **A N O T H E R** WIP anyways enjoy this conchell piece I wrote instead of doing homework. 

* * *

“Hey, um.” Mitchell licked his lips, holding the phone closer to his ear. “You’re in town, right?”

“Yup! Travis and I just got to the hotel room. What’s up? And where are you calling me from? Did you get a new phone without telling me?”

Connor voice was bubbly, cheerful, as he spoke, questioning Mitchell with a pitched happiness. 

Mitchell swallowed again. “Um, no. I didn’t get a new phone. Actually, I, uh, can you come get me? And Sebastian?”

Connor was quiet for a moment, “Um, sure?” His voice was a question, unsure. “I can be there in a few, I have your address saved –“

“That’s not where we are.” Mitchell took a deep breath, forcing it out of himself. “I need you to pick us up from the San Francisco Police Station.”

The silence that followed was nearly overwhelming, and Mitchell rested his forehead on the no-doubt filthy phone box.

“Oh my god.” Connor’s voice was much, _much_ too delighted. “Oh my god. Mitchell. _Darling._ Light of my life. Were you _arrested?”_

Mitchell sighed, “Kind of. Can you pick us up?”

“This is so hot.” Connor suddenly said, his voice taking a deeper tone. “Mitchell, be serious, is this my birthday present?”

 _“This is not the correct response.”_ He hissed into the phone, “Can you pick us up or not?”

“Travis and I are already in the car, babe. Chillax, let me enjoy how incredibly sexy my bad-boy boyfriend is.”

“…..Travis. _Travis_ is with you?”

“You’re on speakerphone.” He told Mitchell, his voice filled with glee. “Anyways, gotta be 21 to pick up someone in holding and Travis’s fake I.D. is much more convincing.”

“Why do you know that,” Mitchell asked, his voice weak.

Connor barked out a laugh, “You think this is the first time the Stoll’s have picked some up from a station? Damn, if we could finally convince the NYPD to just give us a punch card solely for Hermes kids, our lives would be _so_ much easier.”

“Sure, why not.” Mitchell took another breath, attempting to convince himself that _no, no of course this wasn’t his life. he lived a normal life, remember? A sane, normal, boring life._

Which, of course, never worked. 

Connor continued, his voice still delighted and excited. “But babe, sweetheart, please, I _need_ you to tell me. Why are you there?”

Mitchell leaned against the wall, the ancient payphone barely allowing the action. “It’s a mess and a long story, I’ll explain when you get here. But I’m pretty sure I have a black eye, Sebastian’s hand is _definitely_ broken, and I lost my shirt.” 

“Am I having a wet dream?” Connor asked, his voice low again, much to the apparent disgust of Travis. There was a moment of shuffling over the time – them probably hitting each other – until the high sound of Travis’s phone interrupted them. Mitchell waited patiently, his fingers tangled in the cord. He was used to it, at this point.

Connor barked out a laugh, bringing Mitchell back into the conversation. “We texted Katie and now she’s jealous of how much Travis is admiring you. I think she’s going to steal the school mascot to get even.”

“Why are you guys like this.” Mitchell sighed into the phone, a small smile coming to rest on his face despite it all. The guard signaled his phone time was over, and the smile turned back to his original frown. “We’re out of time. You’ll be here?”

“’Course, darlin’.” Connor’s voice was grinning, which would have been wonderful to hear had it not been followed by Travis’s high, _Don’t worry Mitch-y! We’re on our way!_

“See you soon.” He said. 

“Count on it, babe. The Instagram photos alone will be limitless and wonderful.” Connor gasped, “Oh gods, my snapchat story is about to be _so amazing.”_

Mitchell only sighed. 


	13. Mitchell gets hurt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I wish you'd write a fic where Mitchell almost dies/gets seriously hurt and Connor is now caring and watching over him so much it's driving Mitchell crazy in a cute way."

“I’m going to kill him.”

Mitchell didn’t disagree.

Will Solace gave them both a considering look from over his clipboard. “I feel like, as the head of the infirmary, I should be condemning violence.”

Sebastian gave him a challenging look, leaning back in the bedside chair, his boots already perched on the end of the cot. “But?”

Will let out a breath, his hand coming up to pinch his nose. “But he’s the _most_ annoying non-patient I’ve ever had step foot in this building. Ever.”

“He’s not _that_ annoying.” Mitchell protested for the sole fact that he was a good boyfriend.

In truth, Connor _had_ actually been that annoying. To all of them.

Will and Sebastian gave him twin looks of disbelief, like Mitchell had hadn’t been there as Connor demanded to see Mitchell’s chart, despite not being able to read even a bit of it. Or when Connor hovered insistently, taking to the chair at his bedside constantly, rotating between ordering more and more flowers for the tiny bedside table to hold and refusing to give Mitchell his right hand back.

Or when Connor insisted Mitchell stay another night for observation.

Yeah, Connor had gotten _glared_ at for that last one.

To be perfectly fair, Mitchell _had_ been bleeding a lot when his sister carried him in a few days ago, heavily limbing. And Connor _had_ been unfortunate enough to burst in at the moment when Mitchell finally fell unconscious, from either blood loss or pain. And it _had_ taken a few minutes for Will to finally declare that Mitchell would be alright. So it _was_ within reason that Connor was a bit worried. Completely. 

But it’d been a few days, Drew’s broken ankle had healed perfectly, and he was _fine._ Despite what Connor thought.

It had been an emotional experience for exactly one hour for both of them before Mitchell needed his space. And Connor was dead-set on not giving an inch.

Sebastian glanced around from his position at Mitchell’s bedside. “Where did he ever get off to anyway? It’s been three days and this is the first time he’s _voluntarily_ left your side.”

Last night, Travis had drugged him and dragged him away to their cabin. Thank the gods.

Mitchell picked at a stray thread hanging off the sterile white sheets. “I told him I was craving pomegranate juice.”

Sebastian gave him an odd look, “I didn’t know the camp had pomegranate juice.”

Mitchell sighed, “They don’t. But the Walmart three towns over does.”

Sebastian cracked a grin, “Good man.”

Mitchell dropped his head into his hands, the scars on his back hardly aching anymore. “I’m a horrible boyfriend. The _worst.”_

Sebastian clicked his tongue in disagreement just as Will spoke up, still filling out his daily vitals chart.

“You’re not,” He told Mitchell as he read the monitor beside him, his pen swift across the paper, “You just need some alone time. There’s nothing wrong with that.”

“He’s an amazing boyfriend. And I love him so, so much, but-”

“But that doesn’t change the fact you can’t a breath without him asking if you’re okay.” Will gave him a gentle look, “I’ve experienced my fair share of clingy significant others.”

Sebastian raised an eyebrow at that, “Really? Nico’s a worrier?”

Will snorted at that, dropping the clipboard to his side. “Gods, no. I meant because I work in the infirmary. If I get injured in battle, he’d rather throw a bandage on it and let me keep fighting than waste both of our time worrying.” There was a surprising soft look on his face as he spoke, “I kind of love that about him.”

Mitchell let out a sigh, “From how Connor’s talking, I think he’s planning the rest of our futures where he never leaves my side ever again.”

Sebastian gave him a sarcastic look, “And you don’t find this romantic, right?”

Seb and Will both gave him a stern look as Mitchell’s cheeks began to burn.

He took a breath, “It’s a _little -”_

“Not it’s not.” Seb told him through gritted teeth, “You need your space, you said it yourself. You’re tricking yourself because you’re finally alone.”

Will observed him for a moment. “You miss him, don’t you?”

Mitchell just gave them both a helpless look. “No!”

It was unconvincing even to himself. He _did_ miss Connor, even if he was the one who sent him away.

He was craving pomegranate juice, now that he thought about it.

They were both giving him judgment, slightly betrayed looks.

“I’m a son of Aphrodite, there’s love in my veins. Leave me alone and let me find my boyfriends misguided attempts at attention cute.” Mitchell crossed his arms, “It’s my life.”

 _“Sweetheart!”_ Just then, a familiar voice sang out, and Mitchell lit up as the infirmary door burst open.

Beside him, Will was shaking his head in defeat, and Sebastian was gagging.


	14. dialogue prompt: “I dreamt about you last night.”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the distance is hard.

“I dreamt about you last night.”

Mitchell paused, his heart lurching up into his throat. “Oh?”

Connor hummed, his voice nothing more or less than the soft casual tone it usually took for their longer night calls. “Yeah. I miss you.”

Mitchell clenched at his phone a bit tighter, curling up under his blankets. “I miss you too.” He said softly, “Your dream, uh, what happened?”

There was a moment of rustling, probably Connor shifting in his own bed. “It wasn’t sexy or anything - I mean, it was sexy because you were in it, but. It was just us. I think we were hanging out in the strawberry fields. It was really nice.”

Mitchell swallowed, his eyes fluttering shut with his own few memories. “That sounds fun. I love the strawberry fields.” He said after a long moment of silence, keeping his voice light. “We’d probably freeze if we tried that right now.”

“Yeah.” Connor agreed, his voice soft, a bit raspy. “I miss you, Mitch.”

Mitchell didn’t wipe at the few tears that were beginning to soak into his pillow. He swallowed, keeping his voice soft enough to keep any crack of emotion from seeping through. “I miss you too, Connor. So much.”

Connor sniffled on the other end of the line, effectively breaking any hold Mitchell had on his emotions. “Will you stay on the line?”

“Of course.” Mitchell’s answer was instant. “Of course.”

“Okay,” Connor answered, his voice small. “Night, Mitchell.”


	15. Fluffy conchell drabble

“I….don’t think I’m doing this right.”

Mitchell snorted, still sitting perfectly still. “There’s not much to it, babe.”

“I…” Connor’s voice wavered, “it goes like, directly on the hair?”

Mitchell let out a laugh, finally moving from his position. The Aphrodite bathroom had been cleared out for the occasion, none of his siblings willing to risk being accidentally splattered with a rouge shot of hair dye, not with a Stoll in their midst.

Mitchell gave the other boy, much too nervous for the simple act, an amused glance and quick peck before taking the bottle from him. Connor’s gloved hands crinkled together with the act.

“All you do is -” with one hand Mitchell reached for the comb, already dyed nervous different colors from previous hair dye sessions, and combed a section out straight. After applying the goop he smeared it around, covering the section equally, and looked back to the other boy. Connor looked like he was paying more attention to the simple act then he ever had in any class subject.

“Now we’ll separate it -” he grabbed a hair tie, curling it up into a small bundle, not minding his fingers getting stained. “And we repeat. When you get to the next color - pink, right? - you just make sure they don’t touch.”

Connor was chewing his lip, “What if I mess it up -”

Mitchell laughed lightly, “Connor,” he brushed a curl out of the other boy’s face, careful not to smear dye anywhere. “Would you still love me if I had messed up hair?”

Connor blinked a few times, almost shocked. “What? Of _course -”_

Mitchell kissed his cheek, returning to his place in the metal chair before the sink. “And that’s all that matters. Now hurry up, I want to be done before dinner.”

After a moment, Connor finally let out a sigh reminiscent of a man going off to war. “Alright. Let’s do this.” 


	16. Troupe fic: 80. Green-Eyed Epiphany & 42. The Big Damn Kiss

80\. Green-Eyed Epiphany & 42\. The Big Damn Kiss: Conchell

  * Oh boy.


  * Does Connor Stoll get _jealous_


  * Okay, going along with how I’ve already written their relationship, let’s have Mitchell currently in a relationship with….Will Solace.


  * Connor and Mitchell have been pretty good friends for a while, best friends actually, but Connor didn’t really realize how deep that ran for him until a certain sunshine child comes into the picture.


  * This is a high school AU, because reasons, where they both happen to be in the drama department. The show is a high school classic - _Grease,_ of course - in which Mitchell plays a pink lady, mostly because he insists at the audition and Mr. D doesn’t particularly care whatsoever, and, of course, Will Solace plays Danny Zuko.


  * Of _course._


  * Anyway. Connor and Travis are both heads of tech, stage management and soundboard respectfully, and they get to watch it all go down.


  * And this theater company, like most, isn’t exactly drowning with money. Which leads to all of the actors doing their own makeup and hair, as well as for their fellow actors who have no idea what they’re doing.


  * Mitchell is assigned to Will Solace, and that’s where it all begins.


  * Before every dress rehearsal, there’s Mitchell, running his hands through Will’s curls, patting powder onto his cheeks, having Will grin so he can blush up the apples of his cheeks.


  * Their first few makeup sessions are done on the side of the stage, out of the way, while tech sets up so Mitchell can use the stage lighting to figure out Will’s complexion. They’re not the only ones doing this - Piper and Annabeth are huddled together in another corner over an open makeup bag, and Leo is having Jason tilt his head up so he can properly contour his beautiful jawline right next to them - but they’re the only ones Connor cares about doing so.


  * Nico di Angelo, who’s on mics, cares equally as much, but he’s much less vocally so ((although if you ask Reyna, the student director, _not at all)_


  * To everyone watching, Mitchell and Will’s romance is slow growing and full of blushing and shy laughter. After all, there’s a certain intimacy with someone doing your makeup.


  * And Connor, as Mitchell’s best friend, gets to hear about it all.


  * _He’s such a great Danny,_ Mitchell gushes, _Don’t you think? He’s kinda cute, Connor._


  * Connor. Is a good friend.


  * He nods and laughs in the right places and then promptly goes to the tech set-up to lay his head on the switchboard and groan.


  * Katie, head of Lights, has No Sympathy. Mostly because the first time he did this, he knocks off the stacks of queues straight onto the carpet.


  * It all comes to peak opening night.


  * Mitchell is done up to 10s. His hair is perfectly curled and hairsprayed, his eyeliner is dark and his faint eyeshadow is a pale pink to match his jacket.


  * **He’s. Got. Lipstick. On.**


  * Which, everyone on stage is somewhat wearing lipstick. But on Mitchell, coloring _his_ grin, Connor nearly drops his clipboard.


  * How the hell is he supposed to manage a stage after that.


  * Then, of course, Will greets Mitchell, who gives the other boy an air kiss on both cheeks, before Will goes off to wait at the side for his opening queue. Annabeth, on the other side of the stage, is waiting for her own queue on the other side of the stage. Her swim team boyfriend is here for opening night, of course, and she’s determined to put on a good show.


  * The show must go on, despite what Connor’s broken heart says.


  * The first act goes without any major hitches. Annabeth and Will make a convincing couple, Drew is the perfect mix of a sympathetic bitch for Rizzo’s star stealing scenes, and Mitchell - well, Connor only has eyes for him, even as he stands on the edge of the curtains.


  * Intermission comes, and Will and Mitchell are side-by-side as Mitchell checks up on their makeup, and Connor - he can’t take another second of it. He _can’t_. They’re laughing and poking each other with small brushes and sharing a box of crackers they stole from concessions.


  * _Fuck it,_ he thinks, dropping his clipboard and instead grabbing Mitchell’s hand to drag him away into the thankfully empty dressing room. _Fuck it._


  * And listen. Connor may not be an actor, but he’s in the theater department for a reason and his dramatics are a _major_ part of it.


  * _“I can’t do this anymore,”_ Connor rushes out, his words stepping over Mitchell’s confused ones. Mitchell’s still wearing his pink leather jacket, and it brights the slight color on his cheeks out. _“I’m sorry, I know it’s horrible timing and that you’re completely in love with Solace and -”_


  * “Wait,” Mitchell interrupts him, louder this time. “What?”


  * Connor blinks at him, “Solace. I know you love him and what I’m about to say completely ruins that -”


  * And Mitchell laughs just before Connor makes his Big Dramatic Gay Confession. _He must already know what Connor’s going to say,_ Connor automatically thinks, _and he’s laughing at Connor’s desperation -_


  * Mitchell’s voice is still filled with laughter as he speaks, and it brings Connor’s world to a stop.


  * “Will and I aren’t dating,” Mitchell tells him, amused. _“_ What are you talking about?”


  * This. This makes Connor stop.


  * “You’re….”He can’t even think. _“What?”_


  * _“_ What made you think that?”Mitchell tucks a gelled curl behind his ear, still grinning. “I do his makeup, and we’re good friends, but what? He’s cute but totally gone on di Angelo. I tease him about it whenever it’s time for mic checks.”


  * “You aren’t dating,”Connor summarized numbly. “You’re…”


  * “Completely single, as usual.” Mitchell gives him a confused look, “Why did you drag us in here again?”


  * _“Oh,”_ Connor breathes out, his hands coming up to ghost over Mitchell’s wrists. At the soft touch, Mitchell’s eyes widen. “Then at least I won’t feel bad about this.”


  * The Big Damn Kiss Happens.


  * “Touch up your makeup in the bathroom,” Will Solace instructs the freshmen outside the men’s changing room, bodily guarding the room with ruthless efficiently. “There are eight minutes left of intermission and I owe Mitchell for all the makeup.”




	17. Conchell Headcanons 1

  * Connor Stoll has the worst handwriting in the world. The _worst._ Look, I want you to take a piece of paper. Give that piece of paper to a small infant to scribble on. Take the paper after 2-5 minutes of quality scribbling. You see that? That’s his signature. Yup.


  * Mitchell’s is not as bad, no. You see, Mitchell doesn’t think _he_ had bad handwriting. _He_ can read his handwriting just fine thankyouverymuch. But his siblings? Yeah, they’d swear on the newest Vogue that Mitchell’s handwriting was straight nonsense. How are those words? Mitchell?? _How are those words??_


  * Connor is a serial emoji user. Hardly a day goes by without Mitchell receiving a purple heart emoji, the pink arrow heart emoji, and, strangely enough, the frog emoji. In that order. Perhaps it’s because Connor just really loves emojis, or maybe it’s because he fully, truly believes that emojis are the next Egyptian hieroglyphs. _Buuut_ it’s probably because of how Mitchell will wrinkle his nose and slightly grin at him over video chat. 


  * Speaking of texting, they do so constantly “Fucking annoyingly constantly.” - Sebastian, 2017


  * Also, as it is Mitchell’s basic _birthright_ to be horribly cheesy romantic, he has sent Connor several various love letters and poems. Sometimes because of how simply awful they were - Really? Your love felt like a storm?? That’s so interesting, _Please do go on -_ but also because he knows they make Connor blush like crazy when he gets them in the mail.


  * Connor has kept all of them and they are in his bedside table. 


  * Yes, Travis has found them with absolute g l e e. Like okay, Porn and lotion goes in the bedside table. Had Travis found that, sure, teasing. Maybe a few comments on Connor’s taste. But? Flowery? _Poems?_ Connor, they were bound with _ribbon_ and they smelt like his cologne _are you being serious_


  * Yes, Connor went to the Aphrodite cabin when Sabrina would conveniently feel “sick” and needed Mitchell to take her to the infirmary to get deets on his boy. 


  * They were way too happy to help. Scarlett, Lacey, and Sophia the most, but also Asher, who seemed to know the most about his brother. 


  * Also, snapchat. 


  * Connor is a big fan of the filters. His favorites? The flower crown and old man one are tied. He tells everyone the old man one reminds him of Travis. 


  * Mitchell’s favorite is the dog one because he’s basic af. 


  * They’re both Star Wars fanatics and Connor will fight you on #hanshotfirst


  * They watch shows together and they’re _serious_ about it


  * Their first real, I’m-ignoring-you-and-turning-off-my-phone-and-you’ll-have-to-call-my-brother-and-sebastian’s-pissed-because-it’s-one-in-the-morning-here-idiot fight was because Connor watched ahead on Game of Thrones.


  * They’re also making their way through AKA Jessica Jones, Mad Men & Brooklyn 99 right now. 


  * This isn’t a headcanon but every time I write Conchell I listen to “When the Sun Goes Down” from In The Heights AND IT REMINDS ME OF THEM SO MUCH


  * SPOILER ALERT: they really like each other c:




	18. Conchell Headcanons2

  * Biweekly Skype dates are their trademark


  * Mitchell send daily selfies and tbh it’s Connor’s favorite part of the day


  * Connor gave Mitchell a signed Beyonce CD and Mitchell still holds it and cries.


  * Mitchell sends Connor care packages once a month (Typical contents? Hot sauce, Reeses Peeses, a handwritten note, a line of firecrackers, and an assortment of things bought from the dollar section of Target)


  * They can’t go on dates to the movies bc they always end up talking or making out (or both) and completely missing the movie.


  * Despite how disgusting Mitchell thinks he looks, Connor _loves_ their gym dates.


  * Mitchell brags about his track star boyfriend _constantly._


  * His friends know more about the South Key New York City High School Track team then certain actual track members.


  * Mitchell also thanks the gods daily for the existence of Connor’s track shorts.


  * The distance is hard. It really is.


  * Sometimes they just don’t have time for Skyping or texting or phone calls and they go a few days without talking and it’s hard, having a life separate from the other.


  * Scarlett visited Mitchell and Sebastian from Beverly Hills one weekend and wasn’t even mean when Mitchell started crying about how much he missed Connor. It was startling for everyone there tbh.


  * Mitchell once called Connor crying that he missed him and tbh I don’t even know why he was surprised to have a Son of Hermes show up on his doorstep at four in the morning.


  * Mitchell likes to send Connor flowers _bc Connor gets so, so flustered it’s amazing._


  * Connor’s name in Mitchell’s phone is just a series of heart emojis. 


  * Sebastian is disgusted by the amount of moon-eyes and sugar in their relationship.




	19. como la flor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Valentina’s birthday is at the end of the month. She is turning fifteen. 
> 
> ….And she’s very upset about this apparently.
> 
> And Mitchell is a mother-hen. 
> 
> Listen, one Aphrodite kid sure as hell can’t fix this entire problem. But with the help of an entire camp? 
> 
> Stefan’s already picking out his outfit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A few days ago was the four year anniversary of my Quinceanera so I wrote this lol hope you like OCs 
> 
> i listened to a lot of Selena while writing this and I couldn’t think of a good title so I just made my favorite song the title sorry not sorry 
> 
> y’all lucky my favorite song is el chico del apartmento 512 or this would have a really weird title lol 
> 
> If this is really choppy that’s because it’s 3 AM and I’m running on five hours of sleep and an entire pot of coffee.  
> (this is the original author's note from like, 2 years ago)

Valentina was sighing dramatically in her bunk, and everyone was already looking toward Mitchell with a raised eyebrow.

Mitchell ignored the glances. He returned to his magazine, tracing out Vogue’s newest trends, and focused on something that wasn’t his sister’s increasingly louder noises on discontentment.

She sighed again, almost yelling to get the sound out at this point, and Mitchell’s eyebrow twitched. He was stronger than this.

He flipped a page just in time for the girl to flip over in her head, burying her face into her pillow. Sebastian gave him a pitiful look, grabbing the magazine from Mitchell’s loose hands and taking it for himself.

Valentina flung her arm over her eyes - just like one of the dramatic movie posters they had plastered all over their ways - and Mitchell sighed. Mitchell was strong, but apparently, his sister’s flair for the dramatics was stronger. She needed to stop hanging out Scarlett so much.

Mitchell stood, moving over to his younger sister’s bunk. “Valentina?” He kept the weariness out of his voice and ignored the nosey attention of all their siblings. They were gossips, all of them. “Valentina, honey, are you okay? Do you want to talk about it?”

The younger girl lifted her head from her pillow, and Mitchell was surprised to see the redness of the girl’s eyes. He was under the - apparently incorrect - assumption that the girl just wanted some attention, with something really wrong.

Valentina sniffed, proving him wrong again, and wiped at her face. Mitchell, slowly enough that Valentina could tell him to go away, climbed onto into her bunk, his face the picture of concern.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” He tried again, his arm coming up around her shoulder.

She leaned into him, grateful for the support. She hiccupped and, in a small voice, spoke softly. “My birthday’s at the end of the month.”

Mitchell considered the fact - he already knew, and Connor had specially ordered an Urban Decay liquid lipstick he knew she was dying for. Their siblings were already scrambling to put together their gifts, and a small party was being planned. He considered this and tried to piece together why those facts would lead to her teary face. He pursed his lips. “It is.” He finally said. “Is that why you’re upset?”

She sniffed again, burying her face into Mitchell’s shoulder. “I’m going to be fifteen.”

Mitchell waited again. He spoke slowly, “Yes. Yes, you are.”

She pulled away slightly, probably understanding that Mitchell was no way indeed following her train of thought. “I…” She glanced away, her eye-catching on the few pictures taped around her bunk. She shook her head, coming back to herself. “You’re right, it’s stupid -”

Lacey was there then, leaning into the bunk with a concerned frown. Before Valentina could continue on, Lacey climbed onto the bunk and into Valentina’s other side.

Valentina was already sniffing herself into another crying fit.

“Fifteen?” Lacey questioned softly, pulling Valentina’s head into her lap. “That’s when Quinceanera’s happen, right?”

At Lacey’s sentence, the floodgates broke open. Valentina cried softly into her lap, Lacey whispering soft reassurances, Mitchell rubbing figures into her shaking back.

 _Oh._ Mitchell realized _That’s it._

From nearly the day Mitchell met his younger sister, Valentina had been talking about her Quinceanera. It wasn’t a surprise - these things took a while to plan, and Valentina had gotten to camp at the edge of thirteen.

Valentina was calming down enough to form sentences. “I was supposed to have one.” She sat up a bit, wiping at her red cheeks. “I was - I was so excited. I had everything picked out, and my dad said it was okay and I was excited and -” Her face crumbled, and he and Lacey waited patiently. “But - but my aunt talked him out of it, I guess. They’re - they’re worried about monsters and I understand, I do, I really do but -” She covered her face, her voice a whisper. “I was so excited. I feel so stupid.” 

Lacey whispered reassurances to her as she cried, admitting how much she was looking forward to seeing her family and grandparents and oh, her little brother whom she talked about constantly.

Mitchell frowned as he calmed down the crying girl, his mind already working too fast for his liking.

Finally, Valentina stood from her bunk, a whispered thanks as she disappeared into the bathroom to splash her face with water, making no movement to reapply the careful make up she painted on that morning. She wiped it all off with a damp wipe before muttering some excuse and fleeing.

The air was tense as Valentina rushed out of the cabin, her face freshly washed. She probably needed some air - she always claimed the woods calmed her down, but it was probably because the nature nymphs never judged her for crying against their tree trunks.

No one judged her. They all had their outlets.

Mitchell took a deep breath, a familiar protective flame flaring up in his chest.

He nodded, the plan already coming together in his mind. “Alright.” He said out loud.

Sebastian, recognizing the tone, sat up, curiosity evident in his eyes.

Mitchell was still nodding as he stood. He turned to his sister as his side. “Lacey, go get Connor. Tell me to get here quick.”

He turned to Sophia, who was already pulling up a few Pinterest boards on her tablet. Probably had already been searching since Valentina admitted the fault of her tears, honestly. She was always good at predicting Mitchell. “What do we need?”

Sophia had a good head for this kind of stuff.

Sabrina was bringing over a notebook, her glitter pen at the ready.

Sophia tapped at her tablet a few times before speaking. “Food and the dress are the top priority. Is she religious?”

Mitchell thought to the few times he had seen her hunched over her beaded rosary before bed, her fingers tangled in the beads. “Yes.”

“Alright, we’ll have to figure out the service. We won’t be able to bring her family in, so the ceremony will have to be run by us, as her siblings.”

Sabrina was nodding from her place on the ground, writing it all down in her neatest handwriting. Around them, their siblings were beginning to edge closer. Sophia went through a few more questions, Mitchell answering most, Stefan yelling out answers from across the room when Mitchell couldn’t.

Drew plopped down next to Sophia, her laptop’s bright screen open to a page written in Spanish. She glared at them in response to their surprised looks, already scrolling through the page. “We need to figure out her colors. Probably red and cream, from the dress she picked out.”

“She’s already picked out a dress?” Mitchell asked, surprised.

Drew sighed, annoyed, and handed over an opened magazine. “She’s had her dress picked out since she was twelve, said something about it reminding her about her cousin’s.”

Mitchell nodded in approval at [the chosen dress.](http://www.dhresource.com/0x0s/f2-albu-g4-M00-0C-25-rBVaEFcXMtaADnTcAAILBwt8ado984.jpg/2016-gorgeous-16-quinceanera-dress-indian.jpg) Dark red - a brilliant tone to match Valentina’s dark complexion - with a strip of diamonds outlining the necklace, the bust overlapping fabric to cause a pattern. The tull of the skirt fluffed out at the bottom, the model posing at just an angle to show off the different lengths.

“It’s nice.” Mitchell traced the model’s outline, admiring the photo for a second. “Have we figured out what we want to do for hair and makeup?”

“I’ll handle her hair.” Drew muttered, “Scarlett and Stefan already have dibs on her make up.” She jutted out her chin to the corner, “They’ve started trying looks out on Asher.”

Mitchell glanced over to the corner where Drew gestured, Asher sitting dutifully on one of their stools, half his face already made up in an overdramatic contour. Scarlett and Stefan seemed to be in a heated debate over an urban decay eyeshadow palette, their small pointed brushes slicing through the air as they waved their hands around.

Sabrina was taking neat notes, writing down all the assignments as they agreed on them, all of them in intense discussion, only glancing up when the door slammed against the wall, hushing them all.

“Hot-stuff! I’m hereeeee!” Connor loud voice sang out before he slid in, red-cheeked and completely shirtless. He paused at the sight of all of them gathered in a circle, and his hands hovered over the waistband of his shorts. “Um.” His eyes met Mitchell’s, and they weren’t even embarrassed. Confused, maybe. “I’m guessing this isn’t that kind of meeting?” Lacey, over Connor’s shoulder, shot them all a disgusted look.

Mitchell sighed, hiding his face in his hands. “No, Connor. It’s _not._ It’s really, really not.”

“But please, do go on.” Stefan purred, leaning forward from his place in the corner. “We would all _love_ to see the Connor Stoll show.”

Connor winked at Stefan for that, absolutely set on sending Mitchell into a pit of despair. 

“Can you get this?” Mitchell went on usual, holding out the magazine Drew had passed over. “Like, by next weekend?”

Connor took the bound magazine, tucking his shirt into the waistband of his shorts. “Course I can.” He examined it for a moment, “Although I wouldn’t have thought red was your color, darling. Maybe a nice blue? And are you sure you can pull off a sweetheart neckline?”

Mitchell rolled his eyes, “It’s not for me, dummy. We’re throwing Valentina a Quinceanera.”

Connor’s eyes brightened. “Hey! I’ve crashed a few of those. My little sister had one last year.” His eyes sharpened, “Are you guys going to have a chocolate fountain? The Hermes cabin’s got one. Might still be rigged to explode though…”

Mitchell sighed, taking back the magazine to carefully tear out the picture and hand it over. “Thanks, darling. I’ll get back to you later.”

“Does that mean no Connor-Mitchell time?” He asked, untucking the bundled up t-shirt from his shorts, probably just to draw attention to his abs.

His abs _were_ spectacular, if Mitchell were to say so himself.

“Later. After dinner.” Mitchell leaned in and gave the other boy a quick peck, quickly ushering him out of the room. “Now go! We have a secret Quince to plan!”

* * *

“I have a check-list.”

“I’m glad,” Mitchell told her two and half weeks later, smoothing out a tablecloth before nodding in approval. The few volunteer campers hurried away, clenching the chosen fabric to their chests.

“No, I’m just saying. To calm myself. I have a check-list. I can’t forget anything because I have a check-list.”

“That makes sense,” Mitchell told her, sparing his younger sister a look in slight concern. “It’s going to be fine.”

Sophia sighed, nodding, and ran a hand through her multi-colored hair. She was surprisingly showing a rough bout of nerves in the face of the last-minute planning. 

“The dress came in last night.” Mitchell reminded her, attempting to smooth over her nerves as easily as he did to the wrinkled fabric earlier that moment. “Valentina still has no idea. Everything’s on schedule.”

Sophia nodded again, “Let’s go look over what the Hermes kids got going so far.”

Mitchell led the other girl into the near chaos of the Hermes cabin, gesturing towards the party equipment tucked away in the corner. “It’s all here.” He said, mostly to reassure her. “The chocolate fountains have been derigged -” He gave the few Hermes kids gathered around a stern look, one he just _knew_ they actually feared, and from the stumble back a few of them gave in response -- it worked. “And the lights and decorations are packed away. We got her colors - don’t worry, I’ve checked, they match perfectly.”

Sophia nodded along, looking at least a bit calmer. “Let’s go check out the venue.”

Mitchell, resisting the urge to roll his eyes, agreed.

The ‘venue’ aka the Mess Hall, was still full with a few campers lingering from breakfast, but that shouldn’t be a problem come a few hours. They had already bribed the right people (read: the Stolls. Travis, with a batch of French macaroons they _knew_ Katie loved that only Drew could reliably order from her father in Paris, and Connor, with several hours of ‘Connor-Mitchell’ time last Saturday) and they knew the Mess Hall would be perfectly stylish come the hour of the event.

The hall was almost empty, save for the picnic tables and still burning fire-pit for the gods. Nearly all of his siblings were already there, scoping out the place, and headed towards them as he and Sophia looked around.

And, in the middle of the hall, was a batch of eloquently decorated cupcakes. Hot pink frosting, with small white pearls Mitchell prayed to the gods were edible. Mitchell wondered where they had come from - they were obviously for the party. They looked cute.

As did the teenage boy currently stuffing his face with them.

“These are delicious!” Connor beamed, shoving a cupcake full into his mouth, the icing smearing across his chipmunk cheeks.

Mitchell half-smiled, a teasing remark on the tip of this tongue, before he caught the scent of the horribly familiar sickly-sweetness of the food, and his fingertips began to tingle.

Mitchell paused in his moment, still staring at the unnatural brightness of the food, and the ferocity in which the other boy was devouring the desserts, and the strange highness in Connor’s voice as he caught sight of Mitchell, despite looking at the other boy only seconds before.

“Mitchell!” Connor beamed as if he’d just seen him, his eyes wide and bright and slightly fuzzy. “You’re here!” He sounded happy enough to cry, instantly throwing his icing covered hands around Mitchell’s shoulders to pull him closer.

Mitchell carefully pushed him away, swallowing, and stared wide-eyed at the table with dozens of nearly identical cupcakes laid out.

“Are those….” He started, unable to finish the sentence.

“…Love potion cupcakes.” Lacey finished for him in horror, her hand coming up to cover her mouth. Like him, she (along with every Aphrodite child) had the pinpoint ability to just know a love potion when they saw it. And this….this was definitely one.

Sebastian flicked a bit of the icing off the cake, smelling it before wrinkling his nose. “And a strong batch at that.”

“How many of those have you had?” Mitchell demanded, knocking the small dessert out of Connor’s hand as he readied for another bite.

“Several!” Connor laughed, pausing mid-action as he licked the hot pink colored icing off his knuckles. He blinked a few times after that, his eyes already starting to glaze over as his happiness took pause.

“That’s…that’s almost a lethal dose.” Lacey whimpered from beside him.

Mitchell fought the urge to knock his face against the wall, grabbing onto the shoulder of a familiar passer-by. “Travis.” He pulled back the older boy to face him, ignoring how Connor was beginning to sway and make grabby hands towards him. “Travis, I need you to go make your brother throw up _right now._ I’ll deal with this.”

“On it.” Travis grinned, apparently okay to agree to the strange request without context, and grabbed onto his brother’s shoulders to pull him away.

Mitchell began gathering the platters, stacking them in a neat pile so no one could grab any, before turning on his gathered siblings with a glare. Everyone was there except Valentina, still unaware of the surprise, and Piper, who was in charge of distracting the other girl.

“Love potions are banned for a reason,” Mitchell said through clenched teeth, glaring at each of them. “Who did it?”

“I completely learned my lesson from last time.” Stefan held up his arms in surrender, “Would not try that again.”

Mitchell continued to glare at all of them, huddled in their little half-circle.

They stood like that, his siblings each beginning to shift in unease, before someone finally spoke up.

“It was me.” Drew shrugged, nonchalant. “It was getting boring around here.”

Mitchell huffed out an angry breath. “After everything this cabin preaches about consent, you go and produce a judgment altering potion -”

Drew interrupted him. “Calm down, prissy pants.” She rolled her eyes, whipping a bit of the hot pink icing off one of the cupcakes and licking it. “I worked with the Fiona from the Hecate cabin to make it. It doesn’t completely take over your mind or anything -” She paused, clearing considering Connor, “As long as you don’t eat more than like, eight of them, I mean. They’re at most just romantic courage.” She tilted her head up, her nose in the air and her arms crossed. “I’m not an idiot, you know. They’re not bad, they only influence feelings already there. Not my fault your idiot boyfriend ate an entire platter full.”

There were more than a few winces - along with a few hesitant nods of agreement - before Mitchell finally heaved a sigh, and his siblings held their breath.

“I am very angry.” Mitchell told his older sister, rubbing his temples, “Don’t think I’m not. But I literally cannot deal with this today. Just - just put up a sign or something, we don’t have time to make another batch before the party.”

Drew shrugged, looking like the outcome made no difference to her, and turned on her heel to - hopefully - do as he asked. In the beat of silence that followed, Sophia slid up to his side, hugging her clipboard to her chest.

“We have everything.” Sophia nodded mostly to herself in reassurance, “The dress and shoes via the Stolls, food will be provided by the Demeter cabin - mostly just fresh fruit and simple food but that’s to be expected on such a short notice. They also volunteered to grow a few simple centerpieces and arrange her bouquet to match her dress.”

“The venue?” Scarlett questioned them all, looking serious.

Sebastian rolled his eyes and spoke up, peeking over Sophia’s shoulder to catch a glimpse of her list. “You mean this place? It’s nearly good to go. Stefan managed to convince a few of the Ares kids to help set up - we’ll have them drag out most of the picnic tables before they start setting up. It’s more than enough room.”

“What about Chiron and Mr. D?” Mitchell, always the most worried about the rules, asked.

Asher whipped out his phone, typing a mile a minute. “It’s handled. Chiron’s been mysteriously gifted with a new Dean Martin collection, as well as some soundproof headphones, and should be out for the rest of the night. Mr. D probably couldn’t care less, but we made sure he had a few new cases of cold Diet Coke in his office. It’s probably enough to bribe him into ignoring it, at least.”

Sophia checked something on her list, nodding in approval. She began to lead them out of the Mess Hall, evidently heading back to their cabin. “The music?”

“Micah’s handling it. He and Nyssa are going to be DJing the event, they’re working on the playlist right now.”

“Did we manage a cake?” Scarlett asked.

“Somewhat. Cupcakes -” Sophia very carefully did not glance over at Mitchell’s scowl, “and a smaller cake that Valentina can cut into. Katie and Miranda volunteered to make it, they should be done soon.”

“What else? Is that everything?” Sebastian asked, looking bored with the whole event. Mitchell might have believed the facade had he not watched Sebastian priorly threatened to tear off the limbs of any camper who dared to prank the event. 

Sophia looked down at her check-list, nearly all the sentences checked or crossed out, and promptly paled dramatically.

“What?” Scarlett demanded, stepping forward to look over her shoulder.

Mitchell took a calming breath, his heart jumping at their sudden shared silence. “What did we forget?”

There was a beat of silence, all of them waiting, before Sophia finally spoke up.

“We forgot the tiara.” She whimpered, looking horrified. “Oh gods, Valentina’s always talked about how much she’s always wanted a tiara, that was a really big part of this for her. Oh gods, how did this happen?” She looked down at the clipboard in her hands in horror, “The check-list _betrayed_ me.”

“Calm down,” Mitchell instructed, despite his own internal cursing. “It’s fine, it’s okay, she’s going to love it no matter what. I’ll go find a Hermes kid, maybe someone can run out and grab a cheap one from a costume store. It’ll be fine, just give me a second -”

“Mitchell.” Scarlett gasped softly from inside their cabin, _“Come here.”_

Mitchell frowned, feeling uneasy, and climbed the stairs quickly to find nearly all his siblings staring at something in shock.

On Valentina’s bed - unoccupied all morning due to Piper’s successful distracting - was a cream box, bound with red ribbon.

Mitchell stepped forward, carefully untying the ribbon with hesitant fingers, his siblings all edging around him as he did so. He let the ribbon fall to the blanket, hesitating before edging the lid up.

It…it was [a tiara.](https://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/Nzk4WDgwMA==/z/F1AAAOSwMHdXQmpV/%24_58.JPG)

So obviously expensive, sitting delicately among the plush satin. It was a traditional style, not too tall but the design elegant enough to make up for it. It would match Valentina’s dress perfectly.

And there was a note, folded and tucked into the side. Scarlett, leaning in, took the thick paper with careful fingers.

On the cream paper, in dark loopy handwriting, was a single phrase.

_Feliz cumpleaños, mija._

And, right under the words, a bright lipsticked kiss stain.

 _“Mom.”_ Lacey gasped softly, her hand coming up to her mouth.

They had all received gifts from their mother before - always ridiculously expensive and even more treasured. Mitchell himself had a small collection - one for each birthday - lovingly wrapped away under his bunk, for the rainiest of days and darkest of nights.

Sebastian grinned, leaning against the nearest bed frame. “Mom’s coming in clutch. Go her.”

Mitchell smiled, closing the box as carefully as possible and redoing the ribbon. “Valentina’s going to love it.”

“Going to love what?”

They all turned towards the door, not realizing the time, and there was Valentina and Piper in the doorway, the former giving them all a confused look as they gathered around her bed.

Mitchell stepped forward, smiling warmly, and could almost feel his siblings vibrating in excitement behind him.

“Happy birthday, Valentina!”


	20. crime au part 1 - the meeting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> crime au!!! bc im weak!!!

“What is it?” Katie demanded behind his shoulder, leaning over him as if her proximity would help her decode the senseless words. “What’s happening?” Travis, at Connor’s other shoulder, remained stiff and frozen. 

“I,” Connor cut himself off and typed furiously at the keyboard as if it would help. He was nowhere near their best at tech, but he was much better than Katie and Travis and they were the only ones involved in this goddamn heist. 

Connor swallowed as he tried to keep his code from being completely destroyed. “It’s not the mansion’s security system,” he said tightly, and both of them over his shoulder instantly looked to the live cam feed on the screen next to him. Their video, trained currently on the deserted living room but flickering between several hallways and rooms, told nothing about their attack. “It’s something else.” 

“Someone else,” Travis corrected quietly behind him, his arms crossed. “Someone’s poaching our steal.” 

“We can stop them,” Connor instantly reassured, even as he watched their prior setups nearly reversed and changed. Fuck. If the security route was reconstructed to its original, their van would surely be caught. 

Travis and Katie stood tensely at his back for a few long minutes before Connor finally huffed out in frustration and pulled away from the keyboard. “They’ve got the system,” he growled, running a hand through his hair. “We’ve still got the feed, but we can barely control the camera angles at this point much less anything else.” 

“The motion sensors?” 

“Down,” Connor gestured to the laptop, “Almost all the security is down still, we just can’t control it. We wouldn’t be able to know when it was coming back up.” 

“They’re probably in there right now,” Travis cut a glare towards the feed, watching carefully. “Fuck.” 

“We have to go in,” Katie was already gearing up, furious. “We’ve been planning this for weeks.” 

“We’re splitting up,” Travis added on, his face already giving up how much he didn’t like that idea but followed Katie’s lead. “Katie, take the side entrance, I’ll go in through the garage, Connor, you’ll take the back and see if anyone tries to escape while we flush them through.” He paused and pointed at both of them, “If you can, grab the jewels first. But if it’s out of the way, forget about it for now. And don’t step out of our perimeter, and don’t approach the west staircase.” 

“The maids --” 

“Are out for the nights,” Connor interrupted her, “their quarters shouldn’t be a problem.” 

“We have to be quick,” Travis sighed a tense and frustrated sound. “We don’t know when they’re gonna pull the system back up. We  _ can’t  _ get caught in there.” 

“In and out,” Connor agreed, “no more than five minutes.” 

Katie nodded at them, met Travis’s eyes, and disappeared towards the side. Connor and Travis both followed her lead, silent and quiet under the night’s darkness as they crept alongside the house. 

Travis broke off and easily climbed through a window. Connor continued on a bit more before pausing and slipping in without any problems. As soon as he stepped foot on the title, a mental countdown began -- five minutes max, in and out. 

The mansion felt completely still so late into the night with not even the sound of a settling house to disrupt it. A few hallway lights remained on, probably to deter their exact intentions, but they had thoroughly researched the house before tonight. Had everything got perfectly -- or at least, had a seperate group not attempted such a blatant poach -- they’d already be out of the neighborhood. 

Connor paused at the end of a hallway, his ears straining towards something distant. Without thinking, he threw himself to the side of the hallway and tried to disappear while still keeping his gaze on the open space. He didn’t have to wait long. 

Someone was walking casually down the hall, almost bored if not for the attentive lift of his chin, the examining dance of his gaze. Connor tensed, quickly ruling out his companions but also the occupants of the house. He and Travis had poured over the family and employee records for days, and this man did not belong here. 

Connor stepped back into the dim light without another moment of hesitation, his gaze dark. The man paused easily, seemingly not even surprised, and rocked back on his heels. 

Connor was….thrown off. 

“Hey,” the man said breathlessly, blinking back only once, twice. “Haven’t seen you around here.”

Connor blinked at him and his complete lack of disguise or cover up. That already was an unusual fact -- even he and Travis covered their faces whenever they went in, this time a rare exception -- but this man seemed to have no problem with showing off his wide grin, colored hair. In his gloved hands was a small velvet bag tied shut, looking weighed down by its contents. The man noticed his attention and gave him a knowing look as he tucked it at his waist. 

“I have to go,” He said, his voice apologetic. Connor hadn’t even said anything yet. “Step aside for me?” 

Connor blinked at him. He could almost  _ hear  _ Travis’s voice yelling at him, and yet. 

He swallowed and the other man waited patiently. He could fight him for the bag -- most definitely what they came for -- and maybe even win. Connor had a few weapons within reach, and the other man didn’t look like he could put up an incredible fight. Connor could probably win, if it came down to it. 

That was one option. The other was --

“Thanks,” The man grinned as Connor stepped aside like he really was grateful and leaned up to press a quick, fleeting touch of his lips to Connor’s exposed cheek. “See you around, then.” 

He swept past Connor, a small grin on his face, and he was beautiful. 

Connor could hardly breathe. He could hardly move. 

It wasn’t until nearly a minute later he jerked back to himself, right when Travis was running full speed down the hall, no carefulness in his step. 

“Had some close calls,” Travis paused to catch his breath and look over Connor. “Are you okay?” 

Connor nodded, and Travis quickly tapped through his phone to check their escape route and spoke quickly. “Katie got caught up with the muscle, some girl, and the other one just managed to get away from me. They’re on the run with the jewels.” Travis grimaced, “You got caught up with the distraction, I assume?” 

Connor’s hand came up to brush his own cheek and he stared off to where the other man had disappeared. “...Yeah.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ive been thinking a lot about the bank robbers au and this is how im thinking they met???? maybe mitchell/seb/piper/some other aphrodite kids steal a series of planned crimes from travis/connor/katie. connor & mitchell flirt through the whole thing and they all eventually come together (maybe mitchell gets kidnapped after they steal from the wrong person???) anyway im thinking of making this a series of drabbles (told completely out of order) but we’ll see how that goes lol


	21. clarisse bonding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> prompt: Okay, so, imagine the Aphrodite Cabin just adopting Clarisse in Silena's name. Nothing too crazy, but every so often they make her take a day off and do Mani/pedi's with them.

love the idea of clarisse and love cabin bonding omg but the idea of people touching me is the worst

* * *

“No.”

“It’s only for an hour-” 

“No.” 

“We can paint them whatever you want! How about camo-” 

Clarisse pointed the tip of her knife, one that she was currently sharping, in their direction. “No one is touching my hands, and no one is definitely not touching my feet. _No.”_

 _“Clarisse,”_ Stefan whined and draped himself over the table, his siblings taking similar dejected positions. “How else are we suppose to amazingly bond with you?”

“Leave Clarisse alone,” Mitchell gave them a dull look and dropped his arms full of products down on the table. “She doesn’t have to get her nails done if she doesn’t want to.”

Clarisse gestured at him with her knife, “Thank you.”

He hummed and began sifting through everything he dropped. “Help me organize all this.”

His siblings began doing so, and Seb was already shooting him a knowing look. Still, as Sabrina began grouping everything up between them, he followed her lead and kept quiet. Clarisse looked over to them.

“What is all that?” She asked, rubbing her knife with a dark liquid.

“Mostly just some face masks,” Mitchell replied lightly, “a few other things I found around the cabin.”

Clarisse didn’t reply, but she paused as she ran her cloth over the sharp silver. After a moment, she went back to her routine but didn’t reach for another knife as she finished up.

“What kind?” She asked, her voice odd as she cleaned her workspace.

“It’s made from volcanic ash,” Mitchell said nonchalantly, rubbing some onto his cheeks. “There’s also a few rose and pearls paper masks.”

“Did you grab some bath bombs too?” Piper asked, peering down at the box dropped down. Scarlett, at her side, made a low noise of interest.

“The Stolls have put up an above ground pool,” Mitchell couldn’t help the fond eyeroll that followed, “Chiron’s definitely gonna have it torn down, but I think we can manage to get an hour or two before he does so. I think the Stolls are gonna try and negotiate for a week.”

“Ooo,” Sophia held up a large dark red one the size of her fist. “This one makes the water looks like lava!”

Drew was already applying one of the masks in a small mirror. Where that mirror had come from, Mitchell had no idea. “This one is good,” she nodded in rare approval, her skin as dark blue from the paste. “Seaweed is great for the skin.”

Mitchell nodded along and kept careful attention to the fact that Clarisse’s hands had paused completely in her actions. He turned to her, careful nonchalance painted on his face. “Which one do you want?” He asked, gesturing towards the bottles.

There was a beat of silence as nearly all the Aphrodite kids held their breath, Except, of course, Drew who was seemingly much more interested in her reflection as she rubbed the goo onto her skin.

Clarisse leaned over, her knifes abandoned. “Is that some of that carbonated bubble clay mask?” She looked down at the table, her eyes on the bottles. “I’ve seen some of that online.”

“Oh, it’s one of the best,” Valentina had already picking up the small tub and was screwing the top off. Before Clarisse could even say another word, Mitchell’s siblings were standing up and surrounding her.

“Don’t forget to pull back her hair,” Sabrina handed over a headband to the person nearest her – Micah – who slid it behind her ears easily.

“Here,” Sophia had fished a cleansing wipe from the packet and passed it over, “run it over her face before the mask.” Stefan took it and followed her order.

Lacey was nearly jumping in excitement, “I’ll get the water and rag for after! Then we can do the bath bombs!”

Mitchell shared a quick smug look with Sebastian as this all happened, who only rolled his eyes.


	22. Chapter 22

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> prompt: Okay okay okay but I need you to consider Mitchell wearing leggings and doing yoga- you know to start his morning and feel energized-and Connor seeing him and just. Stopping short bc he dOES NOT KNOW how to hANDLE THIS and then they smash

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i didnt know how to end this so i just kept writing and omg it really got away from me. this is before they get together! or maybe an AU where Hands Cupping Sparklers didn’t happen who knows.

“He’s been like this for _hours.”_

Will _tsked_ as he clicked his pen flashlight off and slipped it back into his shirt pocket. “And you have no clue to what could have happened?” 

“None,” Travis crossed his arms, “Lydia and Ayna found him by the volleyball court just…standing there. He’s basically catatonic.” 

Will hummed as he began taking the other boy’s blood pressure, “Well, all his vitals are fine so far. He’s blinking and responding to stimulus. A thought visibly occurred to him. He called for his sister. 

“Hina,” The girl in question looked over, rolled her eyes, and went into the back closet like she already knew what to get. When she returned, she held out a small vial wrapped in plastic. Will took it, peeled off the layer, and uncapped it before holding it up to Connor’s face. 

“Medical grade smelling salts,” Will winced as he explained, “it’d wake anyone up.” 

Connor instantly leaned back and blinked a handful of times, his face screwing up comically. “What - what’s going on?” 

“Who did this to you, brother?” Travis’s voice was deadly serious as he grabbed his brother’s shoulders. “What cabin do we need to get revenge on? Say the word and we’ll have an attack within minutes.” 

“Now, I don’t think -” 

“Hush, Will,” Hina began steering him out of the room, “let them have a moment to bond or whatever.”

“Oh my gods, you so just don’t want to have to do your chores tonight if a camp battle breaks out - “ 

Travis waved in their direction in frustration and, thankfully, they both drifted off to give the brothers a moment. “Who did this?” 

“I….” A distant look came over Connor’s face.

“Was it a Hecate spell? The Athena cabin?” Travis’s face darkened, “Ares?” 

“Aphrodite,” Connor breathed out, nearly in awe. “It was the Aphrodite cabin.”

Travis’s fists clenched. “What did they do?” 

“They were…” Connor trailed off, “they were doing yoga.” 

“And then?” Travis looked close to taking notes, like he needed to know exactly how far their revenge needed to extend. 

“Then…” Connor shook his head, “Mitchell was wearing yoga pants.” 

“Then they …poisoned you?” Travis tried, dread coming over him. “Or subdued you? Attacked you with makeup? Made you sign over your first born to the Kardashian bloodline?” 

“No,” Connor’s mind was still in a light, distant place. “That’s it. Mitchell was wearing yoga pants and now I’m fucking dead.”

“You…” Travis swallowed, “This is all because you saw Mitchell in yoga pants and your mind died?” 

Connor nodded.

“I fucking hate you,” Travis ran a hand over his face, “Will, can you do a favor and fucking murder my brother for me? Thanks.” 

“They were black with silver hearts,” Connor muttered, “do you understand? I would die and recycle my soul for the chance to be those pants.” 

“I need you to shut up before I declare a Hermes cabin civil war.” 

At that, a bit of Connor snapped back. “We can…do that?”

Travis shot a side look over to him, “I mean….yeah.” 

“Cool,” Connor said, “cool, cool, cool, cool. Cool.” 

“Yeah,” Travis agreed, “cool.” 

They both stared at each other for a long, long moment. 

“I get Katie,” Connor said as he scrambled off the bed, not once turning away from his brother. 

Travis made a considering noise as his hand went to his pocket. Connor was already wincing at whatever was kept there. “Fine,” He pulled a glass circle from his pocket, an orange smoke contained within. He winked at his brother, “But I get Aphrodite.” With his words, he threw the ball to the ground. The screaming could be heard from the other side of camp. 

Mitchell, who had been innocently lounging around his cabin with a handful of siblings, started in surprise as a loud crack echoed through their cabin. From the bathroom, the sound of numerous aluminum cans and plastic bottles hitting the ground followed. Mitchell reached for the nearest weapon – a knife duct-taped to the underside of Micah’s bed – and held his breath as his siblings followed his guide. 

The crashing finally stopped and the figure emerged. Mitchell tentatively lowered his blade. 

Travis Stoll was leaning against their bathroom doorway – how had he gotten in there without them seeing? – and, as soon as he met Mitchell’s gaze, lit up and pointed at him. 

“You,” Travis panted out, “are my secret weapon.” 

“Um,” Mitchell quickly went through his plans for the day. “I mean, okay.”

**Author's Note:**

> tumblr is dying so I'm backing up my work on here!!! thanks for reading!!


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